Run Dry
by calhoun91
Summary: Sam Evans is an average 21 year old bachelor. He has the looks, the personality, and the perfect job writing as the male perspective in a women's magazine. What happens when he receives a letter from a girl whose situation hits too close to home?
1. Chapter 1

Well, I couldn't stay away from Sam and Quinn for too long. This one is pretty random, I'll say that much. It's also nothing like my other one so I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. Leave me some reviews and let me know if you're interested in me continuing this or not! Very AU.

The only thing you need to know:

-All of the Glee kids went to school together-except Quinn. I don't care where they went to school. You can pretend it was Lima and they simply all moved (unlikely, but hey, it's fiction) to LA. Or you can say they all went to high school in LA together.

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

**OOOO**

"Sam," an obnoxious voice aroused him from his sleep. He was fairly certain he knew why he was being summoned and instead of pretending to be busy with work he decided on manning up. He walked into her office, keeping his head low.

"Yes, ," he greeted before fixing his blue tie. The older woman looked him up and down before giving him a nod of approval. "I think I understand what you wish to speak to me about."

"Do you, Samuel?" He nodded. She took a sip out of the coffee beverage that was seated on the desk before shuffling through various papers. "I specifically gave you this young woman's number for you to call and ask her out on a date. My husband is simply smitten by the young thing and is desperate for me to find her a suitor." Sam gulped before loosening the tie around his neck a great amount. So, he had thought he was being called in about not finishing his column-not this.

"You see, I thought it wouldn't work since I'm not…" he frowned. He had no idea what to say to finish that thought. He could screw everything up and be fired. "Jewish," he snapped his fingers and gave her a smile.

"Sweetie, I explained already that this doesn't matter. She doesn't have to marry into the religion." Sam felt his chest constrict. Marriage? Dating? It was all too much.

"I'll think about it, Mrs. Epstein." She nodded before looking down at her papers. Sam nodded awkwardly before turning around to leave.

"Oh, Sam," the dark haired woman called out. The blond boy turned around quickly with an arched brow. "It seems as though some of your fans have taken to old fashion snail mail again," she stated before walking over to a stack in the corner of the room. "I told Javier to deliver this to you, but he didn't listen."

"Thank you, Mrs. Epstein," he ran over to her and grabbed the stack of letters before making his way out of the office. He sighed in relief once he was in the clear and made his way to his small room.

Upon sitting in the uncomfortable desk he flipped through the various letters. Each one was identical to the other.

_Dear Ryan,_

_Why does my boyfriend not want to go out with me to the mall? _

After about twenty letters of the same thing he threw the pages around and watched as they fell in various places of his room.

"Dude, what are you doing?" A voice shouted-efficiently giving him a heart attack. He turned his swivel chair around and smirked at his best friend who was wearing nothing but boxers and an Avatar t-shirt.

"Why are you wearing my shirt?" The man began to open his mouth to speak but Sam was quick to interrupt, "why aren't you wearing pants, man?"

"Bro, you know I don't know how to wash clothes. I thought about walking around in the nude, but I figured I would get turned in for being too damn sexy."

"Puck," Sam quickly interrupted, disgust evident in his face, "you can't be my roommate if you're going to steal my Avatar shirt." The mohawked boy scratched the patch of his hair before smirking. "Why are you looking like that?"

"Are you reading your letters?" He asked while pointing to the crumpled up sheets of paper littering the floor. "You know that Puck could help some of the fine ladies out. I don't mind." Sam chuckled before rolling his eyes.

Noah Puckerman had been his best friend since high school. They had pretty much grown up together. Sure, maybe they'd only known each other for those last four years of school, but isn't that when dudes really start to mature anyway? Sam looked at the guy in front of him before realizing that maybe it took longer than that.

"You know I would get fired if they found out you were using my advice column to score." Puck grunted before sitting in the chair opposite of Sam.

"Dude, you write for a chick's magazine. I think that's pretty much the opposite of badass. You might as well get some tail out of hearing these girls complain about their periods and shit." Sam ran his fingers through his hair and laughed at the guy before him.

"You know I'm not interested in dating," Sam finally replied-all the humor that had previously been there-gone. Puck's features softened.

"You can't get hung up on what Rachel did. That was in high school. What are the odds that she's even with Finn anymore?" Sam shrugged, hoping that Puck would drop the subject. "Look dude, you're 21, you look alright, you have chicks throwing themselves at you all the time. You should take advantage of that."

"I guess so," Sam muttered before raising his laptop screen up. He might as well have checked "Ryan's" e-mails while he was in the office.

"Rachel was your high school girl, Bro. Get over the bitch and get under another one. When was the last time you got laid, Man? You know our walls are like paper thin. I never hear any action going on in there." Sam flushed.

"I know they are-no thanks to you and your posse of sluts," he snapped. Puck looked pleased with himself before reaching across Sam's desk and grabbing some peppermints from a jar. He ignored the man-child across from him as he stumbled across an e-mail signed "A Naïve Girl."

_Dear Ryan,_

_I feel stupid writing you. My friends read this magazine and say that your advice is usually very helpful. _

_I've been with my boyfriend since our sophomore year of high school. I recently found out that he's been cheating on me almost the entire time. He tells me that it meant nothing and that he truly does love me. He begs me to stay with him. I thought I loved him; this is all just a fatal blow. _

_What do I do? _

_-Naïve Girl_

He sighed. He knew exactly how the poor girl felt despite the fact that his heartache came over two years ago. He bookmarked her letter, determined to use hers in his column. He looked up at Puck who was staring at him as though he had grown four heads. "Did you say something?"

"Have you not been listening to me? They're better be like naked chicks on that screen," Puck exclaimed before grabbing the laptop. He propped his legs up on the desk before beginning to read the screen with rapt interest. "Dude," Puck whispered sadly.

"Don't, Puck," Sam replied before holding his hands out. "I need to get back to work. Mrs. Epstein needs at least ten entries from me by four." Puck nodded before handing the laptop back over. Sam tried his best to ignore the look of guilt on Puck's face. "It isn't your fault, okay?" Sam whispered. Puck nodded before running his hands through the mohawk again.

"You just have to write back to ten chicks. Why is that going to take you all day?" Puck questioned curiously. Sam tugged at his tie before pulling it overhead and resting it on his desk. "I told Brittany that we would show up at Santana's birthday party later." Sam groaned. He and Santana did not get along well. She had mellowed out since getting back together with the blonde girl, but she could still be ferocious.

"What time is that at?" Puck shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, but you need to be home to wash me some clothes." Sam scoffed before standing up and pulling his wallet out. Puck's eyes lit up at the prospect of being given money.

"I'm not washing your clothes, Puck. I'll try to teach you how to work the laundry or something." Puck's brows furrowed. "Here's some cash. Take something nice of yours and take it to a cleaner." Puck held his hand out expectantly. "I swear, I'm getting a new roommate."

"But you love me, Man. No one is better than Puckzilla," he shouted before flexing his muscles. Sam grinned before something caught his attention. He stood up and looked past Puck, jaw dropped. "What is it? Was it a fine chick?" Puck shouted before turning around.

"No," Sam replied before shaking his head as though trying to wake himself up, "it was nothing. I thought I saw someone." Puck nodded before snatching the money out of Sam's hand. "I'm going to find out what time that party is. You better be there." Puck saluted before sauntering out of his office.

He sighed before opening his laptop back up and getting to work.

**OOOO**

"Hey Brittany, it's Sam," he stated while playing with some quarters on his desk. "…Evans," he added once the girl said nothing. "You know, we went to high school together? Santana makes fun of my lips?"

"Hi, Sam," the bubbly blonde shouted into the phone. "What's up?" He scratched the back of his neck before reaching for a pen and tapping on his desk calendar.

"What time is Santana's party?"

"It's at nine." Sam wrote the information down along with the bar name before hanging up with the blonde. He looked at his watch and sighed. He had thirty minutes left to get four more letters in. He couldn't help that he had spent such a great amount of time on the letter he had received earlier.

He rushed through the rest of his motions as though it were a dance he had perfected years ago. He picked all of the same questions from girls whose boyfriends wouldn't carry their purses or hold their hands in public before he found himself in front of Mrs. Epstein's office with his flash drive and printed off versions of his work.

"Excellent job, Sam," she yelled before taking a drink out of a cup. He guessed it was some sort of soda but her actions were making him think she was following the "five o'clock somewhere" saying a little too closely. "Have you thought about my offer?"

"Ma'am, I'm unsure of what offer you're talking about," he replied in confusion. His boss tilted her head back in laughter. He worried she would tip out of her chair, but she seemed to sober up before that could happen.

"The date. Please let me set you up on this date, Sam. It could be very promising for you." He was certain that his jaw was on the floor. He didn't know what she was getting at, but Mrs. Epstein was known for being very devious. He had always tried to stay on her good side.

"What do you mean?" She chuckled before setting her glass down and looking Sam over.

"Samuel Evans, you're a young man. Say you were promoted to, I don't know; what would Sam like to be promoted to?" Sam clenched his fists.

Sam hadn't signed up for this job because he had been interested in journalism or anything at all like that. Somehow he had simply just been picked up for it. He couldn't even remember why he had gotten the job. He hadn't any degrees that had anything to do with English. He assumed he was just a pretty face for the women in the office to look at.

"You know I don't intend to stay here forever, Mrs. Epstein." The lady nodded before taking another sip from her drink.

"It's one date, Sam," she replied. "For my husband, please. It's not a lifelong commitment. Just do me this favor, and I'll owe you something in return, alright?" He sighed. He couldn't exactly get out of it. His boss was asking him for something. If he said no he would get fired and end up like Puck.

"Yes ma'am," he stated before turning to leave.

"Thank you, dear. I'll let you know tomorrow about the specifics of the date." He nodded before waving.

**OOOO**

He threw himself into his bed. It had been a long day at work and he simply wanted to go to sleep. He had Santana's party to attend, and he still had to go pick out a gift. He dramatically pulled himself up out of bed and walked over to his closet.

He settled on a gray suit with a black tie. He was certain he would be overdressed, but he simply wanted people to think he was too important to talk to-especially women.

He pulled out his clothes before laying them gently on his bed and looking at the alarm clock on his nightstand. He could run out and buy the Latina a present in plenty of time. He took his glasses off and set them gently on his dresser before heading out to find the perfect gift.

He ran into Puck literally two seconds after leaving his bedroom.

"Man, I think you need to leave the glasses on if it's gonna make you have those kinds of problem," Puck shouted. "I don't want you grabbin' my junk, bro." Sam fought the urge to gag.

"Don't flatter yourself, Dude. Did you get Santana a present?" Puck laughed-until realizing Sam was being serious. He looked around the room as though a present would magically appear for him to take.

"No?" Sam sighed before pushing past his bumbling idiot of a friend and making his way downtown.

Two hours later he trudged back into his apartment, tired and ill. He had found a bracelet. He didn't know whether or not Santana would like it, but it sure as hell cost enough. He threw the wrapped gift onto the kitchen table before making his way towards the bathroom.

He twisted the doorknob only to find that it was locked. "Puckerman, what are you doing?" He shouted through the wooden door.

"I was taking my weekly shower. I want to be clean for the ladies tonight." Sam scrunched his nose up in disgust before going back to the small living room and sitting down on the couch.

He felt his eyes growing heavy but fought against the sleep he knew was attempting to come.

**OOOO**

He awoke to Puck punching him in the bicep. His instincts told him to punch the leech in the face until he couldn't' see straight, but his common sense won out. He rolled his eyes and chose to ignore Puck. He waltzed towards the bathroom and pulled his slacks and dress shirt off. He looked at himself in the mirror and sighed.

He was a good looking guy. Sure, he didn't have the Justin Beiber locks going for him anymore and he'd let his natural hair color come through, but he wasn't disgusting. Still, he couldn't bring himself to accept the offers he had received from different girls. His heart had never healed, and he didn't want to chance getting crushed again.

Being alone didn't sound all that bad, anyway.

He shed his boxers and stepped into the shower before lathering himself down and washing his hair. His muscles were stiff-no doubt from just sitting behind a desk all day.

He needed a new job. He needed a new life.

He got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist before heading into his bedroom. The numbers on his clock taunted him almost. It was just another hour of the same day. Sometimes he felt like he was stuck in that movie where the guy relives the same day over and over. He had been forced to watch it on one of his first dates with Rachel.

That was years ago though and it didn't matter.

He felt empty. No, scratch that. He didn't feel _anything_.

He grabbed some boxers and eased them on before throwing the towel into his dirty clothes hamper. He reached for his deodorant and made a mental note to buy more before putting some on. Despite the fact that he lived with Puck he didn't want to _smell _like Puck.

He picked his dress shirt up and checked it for any creases before sliding the material on and buttoning it. He grabbed the grey slacks and pulled them up before tucking his shirt in and fastening the pants. He looked himself in the mirror and sighed.

Life for Sam Evans sucked.

He picked up his black tie and quickly put it on before wondering if he needed to go check on Puck's outfit. Sometimes the resident badass had pretty decent taste in clothing. Sometimes though…well, Sam didn't want to relive his 19th birthday party.

He tousled his hair to give it a defined look before going in search of his roommate. "Puck?"

"Yeah, man," was called from the other end of the apartment. "Do you need to borrow some condoms?" He asked, a little too hopeful for Sam's liking. He knew that everyone worried about him, but they really didn't need to.

"No." He wandered into Noah's room before looking at the boy fixing his hair. Sam never understood why Puck insisted on taking so much time for his hair. It's not as though it could actually move. "I was just making sure you were dressed properly."

"Dude, you aren't my mama. Thank God for that, too," he grumbled under his breath. Sam ignored the boy and looked at his watch.

"You taking a ride with me or are you going yourself?"

"I'm going myself. I don't plan on coming home with you," Puck replied while flexing his biceps. Sam rolled his eyes before exiting the room and going back to his own.

He put on his socks and shoes and brushed his teeth before sliding his blazer on. He grabbed his glasses and strutted out of the apartment and to his car-not before picking up the devil's gift.

**OOOO**

"Happy birthday, Santana," he shouted over the music before handing her the small box. She smiled and gave the dirty blond haired boy a hug. "Congratulations on the new case," he exclaimed. She pulled away and pointed to the seat across from her.

"It's all because of you, Sam," she shouted before wrapping an arm around the blonde beside her. "You know, as much as we fight…well, we make a good team." Sam nodded before raising his glass.

"That we do," he replied. "Who all is coming tonight?" The Latina looked to Brittany who simply shrugged her shoulders.

"I forgot who I invited," she replied sheepishly. Santana bit her lip to hide a smile before looking at Sam.

Five minutes later and it seemed the entire city of LA had showed up. Bodies were bumping and grinding, leaving Sam feeling slightly out of place. He maneuvered himself over to the bar and sat at an empty stool. "I just want some water," he told the bartender who nodded.

He looked to his left and saw a blonde girl sitting by herself. He couldn't tell much about her physical features. Her face was buried in a magazine, but it broke his heart to see her so alone. He eased himself down two seats and prayed to God the girl wouldn't be a psycho. "Excuse me," he interrupted. The blonde looked up.

In that instance Sam Evans was captivated. The blonde had these piercing eyes. They weren't brown, but they weren't all green. They were a swirl of both that drew you in. "Whoa," he whispered to himself. The next thing he noticed was that there was nothing unattractive about that girl. He felt palpitations in his chest but wrote it off to heartburn, despite the fact that he had never had it in his life.

"Can I help you?"

"You have pretty eyes," he responded before he could help himself. He slapped his hand over his mouth. He hadn't been so blatantly stupid since he had been in high school. He had tried his best to change his ways. For the past three years that Sam Evans had been gone, replaced by the new him. Unfortunately the bumbling teenage fool decided to show up that very night.

"Please don't hit on me," she snapped. "I'm not interested." Sam felt his spirits break. He wasn't interested in hitting on the girl, but the fact that she was so adamantly against him hurt his pride. "Sorry, that was rude of me," she added softly.

"It's alright. I shouldn't have been a creeper." He chuckled. "What are you reading?" He wanted to make some kind of conversation. She blushed-or maybe it was a trick of the lighting-and closed the magazine before sliding it over.

Sam choked on his water. Of all the magazines in the world she had to be reading that one. "Let me guess." She interrupted his thoughts," you think I'm a typical blonde bimbo now, right? I'm checking for the newest sex position to try." She flashed him a sad smile before opening the magazine back up.

"Well, I hope they are worthy of your time." He felt his cheeks burning with embarrassment. That had been twice in one night that he had sounded like some perverted 16 year old boy. "I didn't mean that," he stuttered. She rolled her eyes playfully before shutting the magazine.

"There's this guy in here who answers questions these girls ask him." Sam nodded. "It's interesting seeing what goes on inside guy's minds, you know?" Sam chuckled before taking a drink from the bottle of water.

"I can tell you this much-it isn't interesting." She laughed genuinely. It was almost like music to his ears. "I am Sam, Sam I am, and I don't like green eggs and ham," he finished. She threw her head back in laughter and he immediately felt his ears burning. "Oh God, I haven't done that since high school."

"It was cute," she replied with a warm smile. "I'm Quinn." He stuck his hand out in some sort of lame attempt to shake her hand but instead knocked her glass over.

"Shit," he shouted before jumping up and reaching over the bar to grab some napkins. "I am so sorry, Quinn." He began to wipe at her chest awkwardly before realizing what he was doing. "Crap, I'm going to stop now." He pushed the clump of napkins into her lap before turning to walk away.

"Sam," she shouted. He turned around, certain she was going to inform him that she was going to file a restraining order against him. "I thought we were having a conversation?" She flashed him a beautiful smile; he immediately rushed back over and jumped on the stool.

"I really am sorry. I'm not usually this clumsy. I left_ that_ Sam back in high school." She nodded with amusement before continuing to wipe at her clothes.

"It seems he's been coming out a lot tonight, huh?" He nodded sheepishly before removing his glasses and wiping them off on a spare napkin.

"Sam!" He turned around upon hearing a familiar voice calling for him. He groaned upon seeing Puck and Santana bounding over. Puck's eyes lit up-probably at the prospect of Sam being with a girl. Santana simply smirked before crossing her arms over her chest. "We're going out for karaoke. We figured it could be some kind of glee club reunion."

"Oh, alright," he replied somewhat sadly. Puck wiggled his eyebrows before stepping forwards.

"I'm sure Santana wouldn't mind if Sam brought you along," he said while looking at Quinn. Santana shook her head before stepping around Puck.

"Actually, you should. Sam hasn't sung since he debuted 'Baby' back in high school." Sam covered his face with his hands-hoping everything was just a horrible nightmare. He peeked through his fingers long enough to see Quinn smiling. His embarrassment quickly vanished.

He didn't care if they made fun of him if it kept Quinn laughing. "You sang Justin Beiber," Quinn shrieked. Sam nodded.

"He was a like the guy's older brother," Puck replied. "He had the blonde hair and the bangs. Tell her, Bro," Puck nodded while slapping Sam in the back.

"Yeah," Sam grumbled. "I've changed a lot since then," he pointedly stated. Santana tugged at Puck's wrist before looking at Sam and Quinn.

"You two better be there," she shouted before pulling Puck away.

"Sorry about that," Sam stated. "I guess I'd better go. It was nice to meet you, Quinn." She looked confused for a moment.

"Nice to meet you, too, Sam." She grabbed her clutch before chasing after him. "They said I could come, right?" Sam nodded a small smile on his face. "Well, I don't feel like spending the rest of the night at this bar."

"This way, my lady," he cooed before holding his arm out for her.

**OOOO**

Continue? Or trash it? Promise my feelings won't get hurt. I probably don't need to be adding another story to the list of things I should be doing anyway. :P


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you guys for all of the story alerts and favorites. I want to thank all of my reviewers, too though. You guys make me want to update faster. Sorry to the anons that I can't reply to though. :(

Anyway, I'll shut up so you guys can read. Leave me some feedback? I appreciate it. Flashbacks are in italics...and I had to use Lucky. You'll see. ;P

**OOOO**

The first thing she noticed was that she had a headache. There was a glass of water and two Advil resting on her nightstand and the blinds had been closed to prevent the sun from shinning through. She looked around the small room to see a pair of dress pants in the corner, along with a coat, shirt, and tie. Immediately she panicked.

She had never had a one night stand in her life. Surely she hadn't had one the night before.

It was then that she heard the shouts.

She knew that the couple that lived next door to her fought a lot-so she knew what it sounded like when there were screams outside of her apartment. She was, however, fairly certain that these shouts were coming from her own. She eased out of bed, thanking God when she realized she was clothed, and tiptoed to her small living room.

Her jaw dropped. Clearly Sam Evans worked out. He was standing tall in nothing but a pair of boxers. He was pointing and shouting at her boyfriend, while her boyfriend did the same in return.

"Look, just because you don't mind helping cheat doesn't mean I do," Sam shouted. The veins in his neck were becoming more prominent by the second. "You're just like you were in high school, Finn. You're an asshole, and God, I may not know Quinn at all, but I already know she doesn't deserve a prick like you."

"You don't know me anymore, Sam." Finn's voice was actually calm for once. "That doesn't even matter. Why are you in my girlfriend's apartment naked? Did she slut it up with you? Or did you have to trick her into sleeping with you?" Quinn's jaw dropped. She could not, for the life of her, understand how they previously knew each other.

"Don't talk about her like that," Sam barked. It didn't even register with the blonde that Finn had been trashing her. "You're still an idiot, Finn. You always will be. We didn't _do _anything. Had I known she was dating Finn Hudson then you can know I wouldn't have even showed up at Santana's damn party at all."

"Enough," Quinn shouted after hearing enough. Both boys jumped, clearly startled that Quinn was there. "Finn, if you'll just let me explain then you'll see that Sam and I didn't do anything wrong." Finn grumbled but nodded. She then turned to look at Sam who was avoiding eye contact. "Sam," she whispered. He looked up briefly. "How do you two know each other?"

"Look." He cleared his throat. "I need to go. It was nice meeting you, Quinn." She frowned. She wasn't sure why she felt sad at the prospect of him going but she did. "Finn, take care," he grumbled before heading for the door.

"Wait," Quinn shouted. Finn arched an eyebrow and crossed his hands over his chest. Sam slowly turned around and looked at the blonde girl. "You aren't wearing clothes," she stated. Sam shrugged his shoulders and smiled before continuing his way out the door.

There were stranger people in Los Angeles.

Quinn rubbed her temples before tugging at Finn's wrist. "What is wrong with you, Finn?" Her words were harsh."Do _you _not trust me? Because that's really what it sounded like and that would be truly ironic." The tall boy shoved his hands into his jean pockets and looked down in shame.

"That's not it, Quinn," he sighed. "You know I say things I don't mean when I'm mad." Quinn chose not to comment. "I'm sorry but what am I supposed to think? I come over to hang out with my girlfriend and a naked Sam Evans is sitting around!" Quinn groaned; the headache caused from her previous night was catching up to her.

She treaded her way back to her room, mentally cursing Finn for following her. "How do you know Sam?" She questioned before turning around long enough to see Finn's jaw open and close. He ran a hand through his hair before sitting down on her bed and patting the spot beside her.

"If I tell you about Sam will you like…tell me why he was in here?" Quinn nodded. Finn looked deep in thought. His eyes scanned the room as though he were looking for something.

"We went to the same high school." Quinn nodded before pulling away from Finn's arms and sliding under the covers. "We didn't get along so I guess a big part of me wanted to yell at him 'cause I don't like him." She rolled her eyes at the immaturity of the boy in front of her. "So, why was he in your apartment?"

"I met him last night. His friends invited me to tag along to a karaoke bar." Finn looked at her blankly. "I guess I drank a little too much. Sam was a perfect gentleman. He made sure I got home safely. He slept on the couch." Finn smiled goofily before forcing the blonde to scoot over.

"I'm sorry I doubted you," he whispered before pressing a kiss to her temple. He eased under the covers and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm glad you decided to give me another chance, Babe."

His embrace was doing nothing for her. She had been vaguely aware of Sam holding her throughout the previous night and it was everything that Finn's embrace was not. Sam was loving and gentle; whereas, Finn was simply smothering. Finn only wanted to stake his claim.

"Finn?"

"Yeah, Babe?" She hated being called that.

"Why didn't you two get along in high school?" Finn stiffened. She wondered if Finn had done something to the boy in high school.

"Do you plan on seeing him again?" Finn questioned hesitantly. Quinn frowned. There was no way she would be able to see him again. She hadn't gotten a phone number or anything.

"No," she replied sadly. Finn sighed what Quinn thought was a breath of relief. He pressed a lingering kiss to her neck before inhaling deeply.

"Sam wasn't the nicest guy in high school." Quinn's jaw dropped. She had known the boy for a few hours at most but he seemed like a genuine sweetheart. "He was like obsessed with himself. He had this stupid haircut and, and stuff," Finn stuttered. "I had this girlfriend that I…uh, I really loved, you know? She was my first love." Quinn nodded before attempting to ease out of his crushing arms. "I found out that Sam had been running around with her behind my back. She'd like-been cheating on me the entire time." Quinn's stomach dropped.

She didn't know why finding out about Sam's past hurt her so much but it did. He had seemed like such a genuinely nice guy.

"_What are you going to be singing tonight, Mr. Evans?" Quinn slurred before throwing back her drink. Sam watched with wide eyes before pulling the glass away from the blonde. "Hey," she playfully swatted his arm, "what was that for?"_

"_I think you've had a little too much to drink already, Quinn." He smiled before walking her over to their table. "I haven't sung in years, Blondie," he refuted with a chuckle. "I don't think that's going to be changing tonight." _

_She frowned before reaching out to grab his forearm. He had removed his blazer and had rolled the sleeves of his shirt up so that she was touching his bare skin. She immediately felt tingles from where her skin met his. "Please sing something for me," she whispered, ignoring the odd stares from the rest of their table._

"_Quinn, you really don't understand," he tried again. "I'm not going to sing." She scoffed before reaching for Puck's beer and taking a swallow._

"_That's hot," the Mohawked boy shouted, much to Santana's disgust. _

"_Sam, please," she whined. Unsure of why she wanted to hear the boy sing so much, she attempted to play his rejection down. His green eyes met hers, flickering with something she was unsure of. _

"_Listen," Santana shouted into Quinn's ear. "Sam here got burned pretty badly in high school by this chick that sang all of the time. Since then this loser over here hasn't sung a note." Sam glared at the Latina._

"_Shut up, Santana." The dark haired girl looked apologetic for a split second but then shrugged it off. "Fine, come on," Sam shouted before grabbing Quinn's wrist and tugging her._

"_What are we doing?" He steadied her wobbling form before going over to Puck and whispering something into his ear. He reappeared by her side and directed her to the front of the bar where the stage was located._

"_We're going to sing. I told Puck to go pick the song for us." Quinn's face immediately paled._

"_Wait, I can't sing," she stuttered, partly because she was drunk but mostly because she was nervous. Sam gave her a toothy grin before helping her up on the small platform._

"_Oh well," he sing-songed. _

_Quinn watched with wide eyes as a bulky man handed them both a microphone before waltzing away. Puck sent her a wink before easing back over to the group. She turned to face Sam, who looked more than nervous. He looked downright afraid. A familiar guitar riffed through the speakers._

_Sam glared in the general direction of their table before easing the mic up to his face._

_Her jaw dropped upon hearing his voice. She truly hadn't been expecting such a sound to come from his lips. He swayed with the music before somehow ending up beside her. He grabbed her free hand and sang strictly to her._

_With a shaky breath she began her part. _

_She could tell, even with the dimly lit room, that his eyes had lit up at hearing her voice. It made her feel good for some reason. _

"_Lucky I'm in love with my best friend…"_

She smiled upon thinking about how amazing their voices had sounded together. She was brought out of her thoughts by Finn's voice. "Quinn?"

"What?" She groaned. "Sorry," she added lamely. "Finn, why are you over here?"

"I was just coming to check on you. Isn't that what good boyfriends do?" He questioned. She rolled over to see him looking at her with his signature goofy grin in place. "I knew you would forgive me. We're just meant to be and stuff." She rolled her eyes but he didn't see. "I love you, you know," he whispered before inching in closer.

"_Sam, you sounded like a rock star," she whispered into his neck at the end of the song while they hugged. She felt his arms encircle her waist before he began to laugh quietly. "You should quit your day job," she added._

"_That's a bad idea," he replied before helping her back to their table. The entire group was staring at them as though they had gotten naked and ran around the building, or something equally insane. "What are you guys looking at?"_

"_Dude, that was kickass," Puck interrupted the awkward silence, which was followed by more cheers and praises."Totally better than those lame duets you'd sing back in the day." Santana voiced her agreements before cuddling into the ditzy blonde beside her. _

"_I think I'm going to walk Quinn out," he stated. She wanted to protest or pout-something to keep her there, but even in her drunken state she knew it would be incredibly ridiculous to do such a thing._

_The rest of the group said their goodbyes. The two of them made their way out into the fresh air. The lights from the neon sign of the bar were giving an almost incredibly glow to the brunette boy in front of her. "Thanks for the song," Sam supplied before shoving his hands into his coat pockets. "I'm glad I sang with you."_

"_We sounded good together," she replied, to which Sam nodded. "I guess I'll go home now." She awkwardly turned around before stumbling slightly off the sidewalk._

"_Quinn," Sam shouted before rushing over to her and grabbing her waist. "Let me drive you, okay?" She would have protested, but the way his arms felt around her made her feel too good to want him to leave._

"_Okay," she replied simply._

_The drive back to her apartment was incredibly uncomfortable. She spent the entire time attempting to give directions, which seemed to be more difficult when drunk. Sam would laugh at her blatant stupidity but reassured her it was nothing short of cute._

_She smiled upon seeing his blush at saying those words._

_They stumbled into her building. She would giggle loudly before clutching at him intensely. "Will you come up to my apartment? I may fall without you."_

"_Sure," he replied before tightening his hold around her and following her._

_They made it inside in enough time for Quinn to realize she was going to be sick. She ran to her bathroom, praying that Sam wouldn't follow._

_He did._

_Instead of complaining about how gross it was and rushing out of the bathroom like __**someone else**__ would, he began to rub soothing circles on her back while pulling her blonde hair back with his hands. "It's alright," he whispered. "This is why I quit drinking," he admitted with a chuckle._

_She pulled away from the porcelain and watched as he flushed the toilet before rushing around looking for a washcloth. Upon finding one, he soaked it in the sink before placing it gently against her forehead. "We should get you to bed. The more sleep you get the…less rough you will feel when morning comes around." Quinn groaned before leading the way to her bedroom._

"_Thank you," she croaked. He simply smiled before easing her into the bed. _

"_It was a pleasure meeting you," he called from the doorway. "It was an even greater pleasure getting to sing with you, Quinn. Take care, alright?" She nodded and watched as he turned to leave._

"_Will you please stay with me?" He stopped, dead in his tracks, and turned around slowly. She would have been embarrassed had she not been so drunk and needy. He looked torn but eventually nodded. She watched through hooded eyes as he slowly removed his coat and tossed it to the ground. His tie came next. He looked as though he contemplated removing his shirt and pants but decided against it._

"_I'll sleep on the couch?" Quinn shook her head before patting the empty space beside her. He flushed before slowly walking over. "This is a one night stand without the hook up," he stated. "Damn it, I'm sorry. I keep saying dumb things around you."_

"_Help me get naked." His eyes looked as though they were going to pop out of his skull. She began to laugh loudly upon realizing what she had said. "I mean, help me put my sleep clothes on!"_

"_Uh…" He looked at his hands nervously. "Sure." He began to awkwardly shift through her drawers, grabbing the first pair of sweats and oversized t-shirt he could find._

_She began to giggle again upon seeing his entire body flush as he turned around to find her already down to her panties and bra. She kicked at the dress that had pooled at her feet, sending it near his discarded clothes. He held the sweatpants out for her to step in._

_She stumbled, like a fool, of course causing him to grab her waist to steady her. He gasped but did nothing but help her ease her legs into the material._

_He slid the t-shirt over her head and helped her put her arms through the shirt before trying to get her back to the bed. "You can take those off if you want," she whispered. She watched with awe as his shaky fingers unbuttoned his shirt to reveal an amazing body. _

_She reached out and touched his chest before looking up into his eyes. They reflected lust-but even more than that fear. She tentatively and shakily reached up onto her tiptoes before pressing a tender kiss to his lips. He let out a puff of air before re-attaching his lips to hers. _

_The kiss was loving and sensual despite the fact that she was drunk He eased her back to the bed before gently placing her under the covers and pressing a warm kiss to her temple. "Get some sleep, Quinn," he whispered before going around to the other side. _

_She could hear him removing his slacks but refused to turn around and look. She felt the bed shift before strong arms wrapped around her._

Finn's lips were eager on hers. The kiss was rough-almost to the point of bruising. She felt his hands trailing up her body before resting over her breasts. She pushed him away as thoughts of Sam filled her mind.

"Finn, I don't feel well." He nodded before sliding out of bed and putting his shoes back on.

"I'm going out," he shouted before leaving.

**OOOO**

"So, how was she? The nice girls are usually the freaky ones," Puck shouted in between bites of food. Sam rolled his eyes at his best friend before looking back down at his laptop. "You gotta give me some kind of detail, man."

"All that went on in the bed was sleeping, Puck. I promise." Puck nodded. "Get this though-do you know who her boyfriend is?" Puck scooted his chair up, eager for some kind of dirt. As much of a studly man as Puck claimed to be, he could never pass up on gossip.

"Who? Dude, who is it?" Sam swallowed thickly and sighed.

"Finn. Our Finn, Puck." Sam watched as Puck's eyes darkened. In a flash the boy was out of his chair, pacing Sam's office.

"That douche doesn't need a girl like Quinn. She seemed nice and shit. Finn's the polar opposite." Sam nodded before continuing to read through various e-mails he had been sent. "I guess it's for the best that you didn't sleep with the girl-even though he would have deserved it. But that chick is tainted shit."

"Hey," Sam snapped after pulling his glasses of. "Don't talk about her, alright?" Puck's eyes widened as a small smile made its way across his face. He held his hands up in surrender.

"Evans," Mrs. Epstein announced after barging into his office unannounced. "Please come to my office." He nodded and watched as the woman went.

"I really hate that bitch," Sam grumbled, to Puck's amusement.

He told Puck goodbye before making his way towards his boss's office. Thoughts of his previous night flashed back before his eyes. The kiss he had shared with her had made him feel so many things-he knew he was screwed. "Mrs. Epstein," he greeted.

"Samuel, I take it you've had a good day." He nodded. "I've set up your date for tonight. Be nice to the girl. She's a catch." He sighed. He wasn't ready to date. He wished he could tell his boss that but surely it wouldn't end well at all.

"I will be there. Just send me an email with the details?" She nodded.

"Be sure you show her a good time. You could benefit well from being with her." He smiled at her, albeit a forced smile. He turned to go before a thought struck him.

"Oh, Mrs. Epstein, I've been thinking." She waved for him to continue. He sat down in the seat in front of her desk before clenching the chair nervously. "I think it would be beneficial to us if we opened an e-mail account for me-or well, for Ryan."

"Continue…"

"See, these girls have to send me a message from our website. From there the email goes to me, but I can't personally respond to them. I have to write back to a select few via the magazine." He watched closely as his boss pursed her lips. "I think if we set up an email account so they can email me instead of having our site be the middle man…Well, I think that would work best. I could reply immediately."

"Sam, that isn't a bad idea." He smiled. "But, most of the women that write you like the anonymity that messaging you from the website provides. Do you really think they'll want to risk that?" He nodded. She sighed before flipping through various pages of the upcoming edition of their magazine. "Is this what going out with my girl is going to cost me?" She smiled.

"I believe it is, Mrs. Epstein," he replied.

"You play a hard bargain, Samuel, but I love it. I'll have Teddy set you up an email account and fish it through our website. I think we can have it running before the next issue comes out." He nodded, a smile on his face.

"Thank you," he replied before getting out of the chair and heading towards the door.

"Sam, she'll have a rose on the table. Think You've Got Mail or something." He nodded again before finally leaving.

**OOOO**

He looked at his reflection in his car and sighed before looking at the restaurant in front of him.

He had gone home long enough to take his work clothes off. He didn't care about impressing his date. He simply threw on some old jeans and a grey v-neck.

He shrugged off his nervousness and walked up to the main door and entered. He felt slightly insane standing around looking for a flower. Out of the corner of his eyes he found the offensive item and made his way over to the table, too afraid to actually look at the girl.

He closed his eyes before pulling the chair out and sitting down.

Upon opening them his jaw dropped while his world collapsed around him.

"Rachel?" He croaked as the petite brunette girl, who still looked the same, nodded with a small smile. He promptly pushed the chair back and stood up, ready to leave.

"Sam, wait, please," she shouted before jumping out of her chair and grabbing his wrist. The touch made him feel physically sick. He wanted to scrub the patch of skin with hot water until he was free of her. "Please," she pleaded.

"No," he replied without looking. "This can't be happening." He turned around long enough to glare at her. "Did you know it was me?" She looked away. "Rachel!" Her eyes snapped up to meet his. "Did you? Did you know that it was me?"

"Sam, please stay long enough to hear me out."

"Rachel," he growled. "Did you know that I would be the guy coming here tonight?" He watched as she fidgeted nervously.

"Yes," she replied lowly. "I did." His laugh was sarcastic and humorless.

"I don't deserve this," he whispered to himself. He was then flooded with thoughts of his boss. If he treated Rachel horribly then he would no doubt get fired. He clenched his fist before walking back over their table and sitting down. Seconds later Rachel bounded after him with a small smile on her face.

"Thank you," she whispered before reaching out to touch his hand again. He quickly pulled it away and ignored the hurt look on her face.

Twice in the same day he had been forced to face his past.

And it sucked.

"You looked different," she stated. "When did you start wearing glasses?" He shrugged his shoulders and watched as she visibly deflated. He hated that he was beginning to feel bad for the way he was treating her.

"I've always worn them, I guess. I just wore contacts in high school. It made me feel less like a dork," he stated out of nowhere. "Rachel, I'm not going to lie, this is hard for me. I can't sit here without wanting to push you in that chocolate fountain or something."

"I wouldn't say that I didn't deserve that," she replied. "I know that you aren't interested in a relationship with me. I'm not here to try and sweep you off your feet or anything." He nodded. "But Jonah said his wife knew a boy that he wanted me to go out with I couldn't exactly say no."

"I know what you mean. Mrs. Epstein threatened to fire me if I didn't show up." Rachel gasped. "No, you don't need to use your connections with the ACLU." He immediately regretted saying it. They had been having a civil conversation and he had ruined it by referring to their past. Rachel chose to say nothing. "So, you're, uh, single now?"

"I have been for a while now, actually," she replied. Sam wondered if she had cheated again. She seemed to pick up on his thoughts. "He was cheating on me. Almost the entire time. It's funny, isn't it?"

"You know I think you deserve that, Rachel." She nodded before looking down at her hands. "But because I've been through it and know how much it screws you up…I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Not even you."

"You've always been such a sweet guy, Sam," she replied before being interrupted by a waiter. After giving their respective orders she leaned forwards.

"I saw Finn earlier today," Sam commented. "The first time since we graduated and I see you and him on the same day." Rachel giggled. "Is he the one that cheated on you?" She nodded. "That guy is such a douche," he mumbled again for the nth time that day.

"Your hair looks so different, too," she stated in an attempt to make the conversation easier. He nodded before running a hand through it.

"I grew out of my surfer guy phase," he chuckled.

"Sam, I still keep in touch with Brittany." He nodded. "She seems to be the only one from our group of friends who didn't side with either one of us." Sam somewhat felt guilty. Once their broken relationship had been shed to light all of Rachel's friends jumped ship and supported Sam. "She told me about how you helped Santana…"

"It wasn't really that big of a deal. I just kind of told her who I thought was serious and stuff." She nodded before taking a sip out of her water.

"I have somewhat of a proposition for you." He clenched the tablecloth nervously. "I work at a record label-kind of." His brows furrowed. "I was hoping that you might consider helping me out there…you're good with business-don't deny it. You also have an ear for talent. You could help me."

"What are you, like PR?" She opened her mouth to speak but was once again interrupted by the waiter.

"Look Sam," she whispered once the man had left, "I understand that you don't like me, but I could really use your help. I will pay you, of course. I'll pay you double what I would anyone else since I know how much this is going to trouble you."

"Rachel," he tried to interrupt but was shot down.

"You can still work with your magazine. Your hours won't be rough at all. Please, Sam. We were once friends before we began things romantically. Perhaps this could repair that friendship? And if not then you still get a lot of money out of it."

"Rachel," he sighed before rubbing his temples. "I don't know. This is putting me on the spot."

"I'll draw up a contract with my lawyer!" She shouted. "You can get Santana to read it so you know that everything is legitimate."

"I'll think about it, Rachel…but I really can't make you any promises. You're asking a lot from me." She nodded. "Um, let's just eat for now."


	3. Chapter 3

I'm still grateful for the feedback I'm getting. I haven't been able to reply to each individual review because college is taking up so much of my time, but thank you so much! One would think that being a music major would give you more free time than being something else. Apparently not. :/

Anyway, I'll update again soon. Tuesday is our last concert so I'll be pretty free after that! :)

**OOOO**

"So, you never text me back last night." Sam groggily opened his eyes to see the form of Noah Puckerman looming over him. "I mean, you got home later than I did. Did you score?"

"No," he groaned. "Go away." With that he rolled over, placing his face into the pillow. He hoped that Puck would get the message and leave. It was too early to be bothered.

"I'm not leaving until I get the details, Brotha'." Sam groaned again.

"You aren't from the hood, Puck," he muttered into the pillow. Puck made a noise of indifference before plopping down on the bed beside him.

"Was she hot? Just give me that much. Who does she look like?"

"Rachel Berry." Puck cocked an eyebrow that went unnoticed by the blond who was still being suffocated by the pillow. "Go away. I'll be up later. We'll talk."

It seemed to placate the older boy. He exited the room without another word leaving Sam to go back to his peaceful slumber.

Three hours later, a well rested Sam emerged from his room to find Puck sprawled out on their sofa playing a video game. "Please get a job, Puck," Sam moaned while stretching.

"I have a job. It's called protecting the ladies from guys that aren't yours truly." He repeatedly mashed a button until his character on the screen died. He huffed before throwing the remote against the couch and jumping up. He walked over to Sam and gently rested his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Tell me about the girl. Did you bang her? Is there another date?"

"Uh, not exactly…"

"_I had a really good time, Sam," the brunette whispered while looking around. "I don't ever get to just relax like this." Sam nodded before sitting on one of the park benches. _

"_Did you ever love me, Rachel?" He hadn't meant to ask it. The night had ended up being fun, but every single time he would let himself go and begin to open up to the girl, he remembered what she had done. She looked caught off guard. Her mouth opened and closed before she was able to form some sort of reply._

"_Sam, you told me you didn't want to talk about this."_

"_That's just a no, right?" He took off his glasses and wiped them off on his shirt before sliding them back on. "I'm not going to break, Rachel. Come on, just tell me the truth."_

"_I did, okay?" She screeched. He was certain that if there had been people around the cops would have been called for domestic abuse or something else completely absurd. "I don't know why I hurt you the way that I did. I was scared of us. You were incredible, Sam. Guys aren't that nice to their girlfriends."_

"_Yes, they are, Rachel." He shouted. "I can't help it if Finn treated you like dirt. I can't help it that he cheated on you, you know, like you did on me." He rubbed his temples. "I loved you, and that is why I treated you the way I did. He didn't care about you. You were a good lay for him. And that's why you were the one who lost in the end."_

"_Sam…"_

"_I'm not done. I may have been heartbroken. I may have lost the one person I thought I loved more than anything. You messed me up so much, Rachel. Did you know I haven't been able to date since you? Since I was a senior in high school?" She opened her mouth. "But in the end, what I got was still better than what you got. Because even though we're both alone, you have to live with your guilt that you did this to me. You can act like you don't care that I'm this shell of a dude I used to be, but you forget that I did know you once upon a time. And I know that you care that you messed me up."_

_He felt bad for saying it all. He'd just been holding in everything since high school, and he needed some kind of closure even if it did come years later. Upon seeing her tears fall he immediately regressed into protective boyfriend mode and wrapped his arms around the petite girl. Had she always been so frail in his arms? "I'm sorry, Rachel. I didn't mean to yell like that. I just kind of snapped. Don't cry, okay?" She pulled away and wiped away at the make-up she felt running down her face._

"_No, I deserved that, I did." She sniffled. "I'm going to go. Clearly you can't accept my offer of working with me." He stood up and paced back and forth before grabbing the brunette's wrist and pulling her up onto her feet. _

"_I'm Sam Evans." She cocked her head to the side as he held his hand out for her to take. "And you are?"_

"_Rachel Berry." She smiled before taking his hand and giving it a firm shake. _

"_I'll be honored to help you out, Miss Berry." She nodded before pulling away and shifting awkwardly. "I still want that contact though. I'll want Santana to read over it, like you said." Rachel rolled her eyes but nodded._

"The fuck, man? You went out on a date with Rachel Berry?" Puck looked giddy and outraged at the same time. "How does that even happen? You see Man-Child in the morning and then Diva Bitch at night. You aren't seriously going to fucking work for her, right?"

"Dude, language," Sam reprimanded. Puck shook his head in disbelief. "And maybe. I could use the extra cash since my roommate is a moocher." The mohawked boy shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever. Just don't fall in love with her again." Sam was quick to respond but Puck continued. "Or maybe I should say don't act on the feelings that are still there. We know you never fell out of love with her, Man. Don't get dragged into her crap again."

"I don't have feelings for Rachel," Sam shouted as Puck waved him off. "I really don't," he whispered to the empty room.

**OOOO**

"Sam."

"He's not awake."

"Sam?" His head shot up as he looked between the two women standing before him. He looked at Laura, the newest intern at their magazine and then to his boss who had some sort of amused grin on her face. "Laura, you may go," Mrs. Epstein whispered before sitting across from Sam. "How did your date go? Did you not love her?"

"It was…nice," he finished. "Is there anything else you need?" She nodded before pulling a piece of paper out of her briefcase.

"Here is the email set up for you. It's already live. You've gotten some mail already. The website was down all weekend while we had Teddy and his crew working to get this set up. Please don't make me regret giving you this, Sam." He nodded, still dazed by his need for more sleep. "I'll be back in a few hours to check up on you."

**OOOO**

_Dear Naïve Girl,_

_When I was in high school I thought I was in love with my girlfriend. We were together for four years. I had built my college plans around her! At one of my friend's graduation party I caught her cheating on me. She had been doing it for the entire duration of our relationship! She told me that she wanted me, but I was devastated. My heart died I felt like everything I had ever known was a lie. Everything about that relationship was false! _

_It broke me. I didn't date after that. I couldn't. I was afraid that every girl would turn out to be just like her. So now I feel ruined. I'm tainted, and I don't think any girl will ever want to be with me because of it. See though, the thing is that it isn't true. Somewhere out there for me is a girl who will love me even though I'm broken. She'll be able to fix me._

_What I'm trying to say is that you'll be okay. Don't stay in a relationship where you aren't treated the way you deserve to be treated. A guy like that is just like my ex girlfriend-worthless. Someday you'll find a guy that's right for you. _

_Sincerely,_

_Ryan_

She sighed. It wasn't exactly the advice she was looking for, but the fact that someone else had gone through the exact same thing as her and lived gave her some hope. She tossed the magazine down and looked up to see Finn looking at her intently.

He reached for the magazine and picked it up before taking several minutes to read through the articles. He laughed before throwing the magazine back on the table. "That's a bunch of bull. That Ryan guy is probably some fat ass loser who has never had a girlfriend."

"Finn, that isn't really nice," she argued. He shrugged his shoulders before taking a huge bite out of a piece of pizza. "Besides, I'd say that some of that advice should worry you."

"Why's that, Babe?" She growled before throwing her chair back and jumping out of her seat. His eyes widened at her actions.

"Finn, you've been cheating on me for years with some skank that I don't even know, and you want to know why the advice should worry you. It's basically about guys like you!" He stood up and rushed over to her, arms open ready to embrace her. "Don't touch me," she cried. "I thought I loved you, Finn. We've been together since we were in high school. I thought that the reason we worked so well was because we went to different schools. You know, it meant that the time we spent together was treasured since we didn't see each other every single day. I didn't know that you would take it to mean you could have a girlfriend at every school in the district!"

"That's not fair, Quinn," he whined before trying to hug her again. In the heat of the moment she reared back and let the palm of her hand collide with his face.

"Get out. We're done. I don't know why I even considered giving you a second chance." He stood around like an overgrown toddler, unsure of where to go. "I said get out," she shouted before shoving his broad chest.

"This isn't over," he shouted before claiming her lips. She pulled away with disgust before shoving him out the door and locking it behind him.

She fell to the ground before finally letting herself cry over the entire situation.

**OOOO**

"You came," she whispered in excitement before rushing over to him and giving him a quick hug. She pulled away upon feeling him tense. "I'm sorry. That was highly inappropriate." He shrugged his shoulders as his hands went up to fix his tie. "You needn't dress so proper here, Sam. Your job isn't to impress anyone."

"Okay," he replied before following the brunette. "What exactly will I be doing then?" Rachel turned around and beckoned him with her index finger.

"You will be spending the majority of your time in a room." She laughed at the expression adorning his face. "I'm not kidding. You'll have a computer and some headphones. That is about it."

"What kind of job is this?" He screeched in mock anger. "I request that my headphones be important from somewhere that makes expensive headphones. I also request that they have Spiderman on them." He felt himself blush under the intense look she was giving him.

"I'll see what I can do," she replied before waving towards a hallway. He assumed he still needed to follow her. "I guess some things haven't changed since high school."

"Not everything changes, Rachel," he replied. She stopped walking and pointed to a door.

"This is you." He nodded. "You basically have the easiest job here. We give you CDs and you listen to them. The ones that you think would flop will go into the white bin. The ones you think have a chance of making if go in the black one. On top of that you'll need to help me scour band pages on Myspace despite the fact that no one uses it anymore." He nodded trying not to let the girl know he was overwhelmed by what the job entailed. She seemed to have sensed his reluctance anyway. "Sam, trust me, you won't be the only one working on this. My assistant helps, too. On top of that there is another crew that picks apart the things you deem good enough to move on."

"Alright." He fidgeted with the strap of his laptop carrier.

"You can put your stuff down now if you'd like. I'm going to request that you walk me back to my office so that we can chat a bit." He eased himself into the small room and placed his bag down on the desk. He turned around to find Rachel watching him with a look in her eyes he couldn't name. "Let's go," she whispered. "You get bonus points with the boss for doing this."

He followed her back to her office, which was admittedly something else. His office at the magazine was big enough for him and maybe two other people to fit in. Rachel's looked as though an entire wing of his apartment building could fit. "I know that you work for a magazine, Sam," she stated, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah," he replied before seating himself down across from her. "What's wrong with that?"

"Mrs. Epstein never told me what it was that you did there." He nodded and watched as she looked at him. Did she expect him to tell her?

"Right?"

"Well, what do you do? Do you write articles?" He sighed.

"Does it really matter what it is that I do, Rachel? I don't understand what it is that you're wanting." She rolled her eyes playfully.

"I just wondered if you thought that you could talk to Mrs. Epstein about promoting some of our newly signed artists in her magazine. I would ask her husband, but that seems slightly odd. I assume that you asking her something for me would put you even further into her good graces, right? She wants us to get married and have six children from what I gather." He flushed from the weight of her words.

"I assume I can do that."

"Good. I also would like to know who that boy is that gives relationship advice. He seems incredibly romantic." She tilted her head back and laughed loudly, not noticing the way Sam's body went rigid. A loud beep filtered throughout the room, bringing Rachel out of her laughter and Sam out of his nervousness.

"I have your files," a feminine voice cut in through the tension filled air.

"Bring them in," Rachel spoke to the speaker. Sam immediately thought of something resembling Charlie's Angels, but thought against mentioning that to Rachel. "Sam, I really appreciate what you're doing for me." He registered a door opening but paid no heed. "I know that you could have easily told me no, especially considering our history. I'm just a naïve girl. I needed help." He felt his palms grow sweaty at the way she said the word naïve. His mind raced with thoughts that were surely absurd. She had asked him what he did at the magazine though, and she did know the Epsteins. Could Rachel be the one that had sent him a letter?

"You're naïve girl?" He blurted without much thought. Rachel cocked her head to the side before glancing behind him.

"You can sit those on my desk," she cheerfully exclaimed. Sam turned around and gasped, causing the girl to spill her forms everywhere.

"Quinn?" He immediately jumped out of his chair and began to pick up the various pieces of paper before holding them out for her to take. "What are you doing here?"

"Sam," she gave him a soft smile, but he could tell by her red-rimmed eyes that she had been upset over something. "It's nice to see you again. I didn't think that I would." He nodded, wondering if he looked alright to be in her presence.

"You two know each other?" Rachel's voice brought them both out of their respective thoughts. Quinn opened his mouth, but Sam beat her to the punch.

"Yeah, we met a few nights ago. She's actually the reason I saw Finn." Rachel's eyes widened before she turned to glare at Quinn.

"Excuse me?" She questioned, eyes never leaving Quinn. Sam looked at the two in confusion before an awkward realization dawned on him. Rachel Berry and Quinn Fabray had been played by Finn Hudson at the same time-except apparently neither of them knew they were the other girl.

"She took me to this restaurant," he rapidly explained. "And I saw him there." Rachel's eyes softened. Quinn simply looked confused. "Anyway, we met the other night at Santana's birthday party."

"Yeah," Quinn lamely threw in for the sake of talking. "I'm going to go now. Everything should be in the folder, Miss Berry," she added before turning around and rushing out of the room.

"What was that about," Rachel mumbled aloud. Sam shrugged his shoulders. "I guess you can go. I'll send you an email about your work schedule." He nodded before waving awkwardly and rushing back to his new workroom.

He couldn't fight the girlish squeal that came out as he was pulled into a different room. He looked around and realized it was the break room. "Why did you lie to her about Finn? What do I not know?" He gulped lightly and once again loosened his tie.

"I don't want to tell you this and cause you to do something incredibly stupid." Upon seeing her glare he pushed forward. "Can I tell you this story in my stupid little office? I don't want to explain this while standing next to a vending machine." She nodded.

**OOOO**

She reveled in the way that her hand fit in his. His hands were warm and comforting in a way that Finn's had never been. She chastised herself for thinking of the guy she once considered her future husband and once again returned to thinking about Sam. She couldn't explain why she felt so giddy at the prospect of getting to see him again.

"Okay," he whispered after offering her the chair in front of his desk. Rather than going to sit on the other side he chose to sit beside her. "I don't really know you all that well despite the fact that I slept in your bed." He chuckled nervously.

"Sam, I'm not going to yell at you…"

"It isn't that. I need to know that I can trust you." She nodded. "Really, I don't trust easily. Please don't make me regret this." His voice had a pleading tone to it that made her want to cry. His green eyes had sadness to them that she recognized. She had seen the same look in the mirror for the past few weeks.

"Sam, you can talk to me. I won't tell anybody. It's the least I can do. You took care of me when I was drunk." She gave him a small smile that he returned.

"I dated Rachel in high school." She felt her jaw drop. She wondered if the brunette wanted Sam back. It made her stomach clench in a way that she couldn't understand. "She cheated on me."

"She's a bitch," she stated without filter. He looked impressed but said nothing.

"She was cheating on me with Finn." The blonde instantly understood what he was saying. Finn had told him the exact story, only to spin Sam off as the villain. "They continued dating…" She nodded her head, unsure of what he was implying. "Quinn, are you and Finn still together?"

"I broke up with him today," she admitted. She watched as Sam fought to hold back a grin. "He was," she cleared her throat. If Sam could open up about his history with Rachel then she owed him some sort of explanation. "He had been cheating on me."

"Do you know who with?" She shook her head. "Quinn, when I tell you this you have to know that I'm not trying to involve myself in your business. I really just want to keep you from messing up with your boss." She nodded. "It was Rachel."

"Rachel what?"

"It was Rachel that Finn was cheating on you with." She jumped out of her chair, ready to storm back into the brunette's office. A firm and yet somehow gentle grip on her wrist instantly calmed her. "You can't tell Rachel, Quinn. She doesn't know that you're the other girl."

"I'm the other girl?" The blonde shouted, instantly regretting it upon seeing the flash of hurt on Sam's face. "She's the other girl, not me." Sam shook his head.

"Not to her though. She thought that Finn was her boyfriend, too. She didn't know that he was cheating on some other girl. Finn is just a prick, Quinn. Please don't say anything to Rachel. You don't know her like I do. She's a sweet girl, but I don't doubt that she would fire you out of the heat of the moment." Quinn felt sick.

"You still love her." His eyes widened.

"No. No, I really don't," he whispered before taking her hand in his. "I'm really glad I get to see you again, Quinn. Please don't tell Rachel. I don't want you to quit."

She looked at his pleading eyes and the small smile on his face. "I won't." He nodded before pulling her into his arms and stroking her back lightly.

"I'm so sorry about your relationship though." She once again found herself crying. Only this time she had strong arms around her and soothing words being whispered into her ears. Despite the fact that Sam was seemingly a stranger to her, she had never felt more drawn to anyone in her entire life.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm sorry it's been forever since I've updated. We had some really bad weather a few weeks ago and it killed everything including the internet. Hope that if I have any other readers from the south that you're all well, too.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

**OOOO**

_Dear Ryan,_

_I'm certain that most girls don't write you a follow up letter, but I wanted to tell you thank-you for the advice. I did break up with my boyfriend and have since then been feeling much better about myself._

_I believe I have a new problem though. Recently…Well, about a week ago, my boss hired a new worker. I think I'm beginning to have feelings for him. I don't know if they are genuine or simply because I'm recently single. At times he seems interested in me. Other times he just seems like he'd rather be miles away from me._

_What do I do? Do I tell this guy how I'm feeling despite the fact that I'm unsure? Do I just continue working with him as though nothing has changed?_

_-Naïve Girl_

She read over the letter once and sighed. It wasn't enough that she had to turn to an advice column for her love life. She had somehow found out that the Ryan guy had gone virtual with an email address. After twenty minutes of thinking she made a fake email account and sent him the letter.

His advice last time had helped her slightly. She only hoped that this time around worked as well.

A light tapping on her door brought her out of her thoughts. She hit send, groaning in frustration when the screen seemed to have frozen. She vowed to start bringing her laptop to work rather than using the crappy desktop she had been provided with. She looked up at the door after her letter had finally sent. She smiled upon seeing Sam waltz in. His green eyes were sparkling with amusement. "Some guy just asked me for my number." He laughed before waltzing over to the chair across from her and plopping down.

"Did you let him down easy?" He shook his head.

"I gave him my number." She coughed, startled by his answer. "Of course, it was Puck's number, but that isn't really relevant." Quinn laughed loudly, missing the way Sam's face lit up at hearing her.

"Have you been by Miss Berry's office?" His carefree smile faded away. She had noticed, even only after a week, that any time she mentioned their boss Sam would tense. Sam was definitely one of her best friends at the office, but he had yet to confide in her what the problem was with the brunette. She had known about their relationship, but she had yet to know how serious any of it was. He simply made it sound as though they had dated a month and broken up when she cheated on him.

Admittedly, she herself had problems with her boss for a few days after finding out about Finn. Of course any animosity held towards the brunette passed after realizing that Finn had been the wrong-doer-not her and not Rachel.

"I haven't." She nodded before picking up a note and handing it to her. "What's this?"

"Just take it." His eyes flickered over the message. He sighed before standing up and heading towards her door. She ignored the sadness she felt at knowing he was leaving. She usually abandoned her job halfway through the day to accompany Sam at his station anyway.

"I guess I need to go see what the boss lady wants," he finally whispered before waving goodbye.

She groaned in frustration. Her love life was destined to be a wreck; she was absolutely certain of that much. Her cell phone vibrated against the wooden desk, efficiently scaring her and bringing her out of her thoughts.

She picked up the device and groaned.

"What do you want?" She snapped.

"Look at you growing a backbone again. Reminds me of the Quinn I once knew and loved." She waited for the boy to continue. "I was just wondering if you got my flowers, Babe. I'm ready for us to get back together."

The blonde snorted. "Finn, get over yourself. I'm not pathetic enough to crawl back. Not this time." He laughed.

"Of course you aren't, Babe. You know you love me. It's just going to take you some time to realize you aren't anything without me." She scoffed.

"Has Rachel not taken you back? Is that why you're so adamant on winning me over?" She smirked, knowing she finally had an upper hand. Finn sputtered for a few moments before collecting himself.

"How do you know Rachel?" Her smirk grew.

"You really were a shitty boyfriend, Finn. How did you not know that Rachel was my boss? I know I mentioned it on multiple occasions. You got sloppy, Finn. Not only that, but I know that Sam never did anything wrong to you. You took everything from him-just like you're trying to do to me."

"You don't talk to me like that," he growled. She wondered where the man she had once loved had gone. He had once been simple and loving. He had turned into some sort of monster along the way, and she was only then getting to see it.

"I'm hanging up, Finn. I'm at work. If you keep calling I won't hesitate to change my number." With that she ended the call before leaning back in her chair and inhaling deeply.

**OOOO**

"I'm supposed to come see you," Sam calmly stated after peeking his head into Rachel's office. The brunette beamed before waving him inside. He slowly entered and stood as far away as possible. "What can I help you with?"

"This new band that everyone seems interested in is playing at Ricky's later." He nodded, unsure of what she was trying to say. "You need to go there and see what the fuss is about." He once again nodded. He was certain he could handle that much. "Do you want to meet me there?"

"What?" He quickly asked. He noticed the hurt that flashed across her face but a part of him couldn't bring himself to care. "You're going with me?" She slowly nodded.

"Unless you'd rather take someone else in the department? Quinn perhaps?" He stood there weighing in his options.

"It's fine, Miss Berry," he whispered before turning to go. "Just give me the details."

"Sam." He turned around slowly. "Just call me Rachel. It makes me feel really weird when you call me Miss Berry."

"That's what everyone else calls you," he replied. "I'm just following the crowd, Miss Berry." She nodded and cleared her throat. His cell phone chose that moment to spring to life. Rachel watched in amusement as the theme from Batman filled the air. Sam groaned.

"You can take the call, Sam," Rachel instructed. Sam nodded before answering the device.

"What do you want, Puck?" He snapped. "No, I'm busy. I got off and came straight here. No, there are no hot women. No, Puck, I'm not handing out your number. Goodbye." He was brought out of his anger by the sound of Rachel's laughter.

"That was Noah, right?" Sam nodded. "He hasn't changed a bit. He's still deplorable apparently." Sam smiled.

"You have no idea. He's got a good heart though." He wondered if the brunette across from him ever missed her friends from high school. She was bound to have made new friends since then, but Noah Puckerman had always been her best friend back in the day. They shared a Jew bond or something. He had known that losing the diva's friendship had severely damaged the womanizer for a while.

Of course he bounced back from that.

"I know," Rachel whispered almost sadly. Suddenly she perked up. Even though Sam knew he had no right to say he knew Rachel anymore he knew she had come up with some sort of plan. "Do you think he would like to come tonight? I remember him being into music." Sam grimaced.

"I don't think that would be a good idea, Rachel…" Her face fell. "I'll see what I can do though." Rachel smiled.

"I might be willing to drag my assistant along if Noah were to agree. I wouldn't want anyone to be a fifth wheel." He knew what she was doing and yet he didn't care. At the mention of the blonde he was certain that Noah Puckerman would be attending that night.

He rushed down the various hallways to get to his small office-though he would hardly call it such. He plopped down at the computer before pulling his cell phone out and dialing Puck's number.

"This is God speaking," the voice filtered through. Sam rolled his eyes.

"God, it's Sam. Why haven't you returned my calls?" Puck scoffed. Sam vaguely heard the sound of a refrigerator door opening.

"What do you want, Evans? I'm about to eat some pizza and drink a beer. Know why? That's the stereotype of badass." Sam tapped his keyboard nervously.

"Really? I kind of thought it was redneck." Puck grunted. "I need a favor, man." Puck replied but with a mouth full of pizza. "Dude, I have no idea what you just said. Swallow the food first. Don't be a caveman."

"I said what do you need? Quit being so damn complicated." Sam swallowed thickly.

"Well, I'm going to see some band play tonight. I was thinking that Quinn would go, and then you could go and find a girl there to woo or whatever." He could picture Puck sitting on the couch rubbing his mohawk.

"I think you're lying, bro. What is this really about?" Sam pouted. He hated that he could be so see-through.

"Rachel wants to see you again. She told me that if I got you to tag along then she would invite Quinn." He heard complete silence on the other end of the line. "Puck?"

"You told me you didn't like that Quinn girl." His voice was soft-something Sam wasn't used to. He rubbed the back of his neck out of a nervous habit.

"Well," he drawled, "I don't." Puck let out a puff of air.

"Then I'm not doing it." Sam sighed. His roommate knew him too well. "You think I'm seriously that dumb, man? You come home talking about this chick all of the time. I get excited for you, you know. I think it's like the first time you've actually talked about a girl since Rachel. I'm willing to go to this crap tonight. I'm fine with sitting through some sets and being around Rachel Berry." He paused. "Rachel Berry of all people, you know how I feel about her now, Man." Sam nodded despite the fact that Puck couldn't see him. "So you tell me the truth. Do you like this Quinn chick at all? Even just a little tiny bit?"

"Yes." The word flew out of his mouth before he could stop himself. He didn't know if he was just saying it so that someone besides Rachel would be there or because he truly had feelings for the blonde.

But he couldn't like Quinn. And he didn't.

"Alright," Puck replied. "Alright," he repeated. "I'll go to this thing. I'll even play nice with Berry." Sam broke out into a smile.

"Thank you so much, Puck," Sam replied. He finished his goodbyes before turning to face his computer. He logged into his email and shot Rachel a quick one informing him that Puck would be along for the ride.

It was then that he got the urge to check Ryan's mail. He quickly logged onto the fake account and skimmed through the emails. He chuckled upon finding one from Girl, Naïve. He clicked on it and read with rapt attention. The girl seemed to always be going through things he himself had problems with. It was surreal in a way.

He wrote back his response and was reviewing it when the blonde girl he had been thinking about waltzed in through his door. "Quinn," he shrieked before clicking the send button and minimizing his windows. "What a surprise?"

"Rachel just told me I was going out to dinner with you and your roommate. Oh, and also her. What the hell, Sam?" Sam shrugged his shoulders before sinking into his chair. He didn't know anything about going out to eat. "Then I have to go to some band thing? I'm the assistant. I don't do this stuff."

"I'm sorry, Quinn." He hoped that he came across as sincere. "It's just, Rachel and I have history. Bad history. I gave you the CliffNotes version, but that doesn't even come close to explaining everything." She nodded. "She wanted me to go with her alone tonight. When she gave me an out to have other people tag along I had to take it. I just can't." He felt his voice cracking. He wasn't going to fall apart like some little girl, he told himself. He cleared his throat and pushed on through. "I can't go out with just her. I just can't."

"It's okay," she replied immediately. "I was just confused as to why I was being involved, but now that I understand…" She shook her head. "I look forward to spending time with you outside of this building," she whispered before winking. His eyes widened comically as she rushed out of the door.

XXXXXXXX

_Dear Naïve Girl,_

_I love how you made yourself an email account so you could write me. I feel flattered. ;) _

_I really am glad that you got rid of the boyfriend. I believe that with time you'll be even happier than you are now. The minute you get into a mature relationship-one where both parties are equally involved you will realize that this guy just wasn't right for you. _

_Falling for a co-worker is a bad thing. It always is. Except when it isn't. :D Give yourself time to move on. You are too special to have a rebound. Don't give yourself to undeserving guys, okay?_

_Sincerely,  
>Ryan<em>

_Oh, you can write me anytime. Your letters give me hope that there are normal girls out there. ;P_

Quinn smiled before shutting the computer down. She wished that she could meet the Ryan Jackson, extraordinaire of all things female. He was able to make her feel worthy of things despite the fact that he had never had a true conversation with her.

She couldn't help but still feel pathetic that the closest thing she had to a boyfriend was a guy who emailed thousands of women a day.

With a final glance at the clock she stood up and exited her office. She had to go home and make herself look presentable for the outing she was being forced to go on.

A part of her looked forward to it though. It meant spending time with Sam. Maybe she could finally get to know the guy under the surface and find out if she was truly attracted to him or if it was just the hormones in her talking.

"Quinn," a familiar voice shouted. She turned around and smiled. "Here is the address," Rachel handed her a piece of paper once she had caught up with the blonde. She nodded.

"Who all is going?"

"Sam, you, me and his roommate. I told you that in the email I sent, right?" Quinn nodded. "I really do think that this will be enjoyable."

"Am I going to be a distraction for Sam or his roommate?" Rachel opened her mouth to respond but then quickly shut it. "Rachel, I'm a girl. I know how this works. Who are you after?" The brunette sighed before nodding her head towards the exit.

"It's a long story, Quinn. I don't think that now is the best time to tell it." The blonde nodded. "But Sam was my first boyfriend," she added with a wistful smile. The blonde couldn't help but feel somewhat angered by it. "He loved me. He truly cared about me, and I took advantage of that. And for what?" She shouted. The blonde looked around awkwardly. "He's a great guy, and I hurt him so, so much."

"I'm aware," the blonde mumbled under her breath. "I don't understand why you would cheat on him if you knew that he cared that much about you." Rachel sighed and Quinn knew she had gotten all that she was going to get. "I guess I need to go," she added, aware that the brunette had never answered her original question.

**OOOO**

"Dude, why are you dressing up? This girl sees you every day that you work up there. I think she knows what you look like when you're wearing nice clothes." Sam ignored his roommate and continued to tie his tie.

"I just don't want to look like a slob, Puck," he snapped. Puck raised his arms up in surrender.

"I'll wait in the living room. I'm not changing, for the record," he called out before leaving Sam to his thoughts. He took his glasses off and looked at them for a moment before setting them down on his dresser.

He walked into the bathroom and pulled his contact case out of the drawer and popped them in. He looked at himself in the mirror. It was almost as though he had reverted back to his sixteen year old self. He went back into his bedroom and tugged off the white button up shirt and settled for a plain green and white baseball tee he wore to lounge around the house in. He eased his khakis off and replaced them with worn and faded jeans before grabbing his sneakers and putting them on.

He quickly made his way into the living room where Puck was waiting. They were already running late, which wouldn't have been a problem except Rachel was in fact his boss. "Let's go, manwhore," Sam shouted once he entered the room. Puck eyed him curiously but said nothing. Instead he simply followed the taller boy out of the house and into the car parked down the block.

"I'm kind of scared," Puck admitted once they were driving towards the restaurant. Sam kept a tight-lipped smile. He was too.

"Why?" He questioned, although he was certain he already knew the answer. He glanced at the Jewish boy once he turned right down Mason Avenue.

"I'm just…I don't know. It's been years since I've seen her." Sam nodded. "I know that she hurt you, but you know how I feel about things. Or… Well, you know how I felt," he whispered while rubbing his knees.

"It's fine, man. Just… if it gets too messed up we'll leave, alright? Rachel isn't a bitch. She never has been so I don't think she'll actually do anything too messed up." Puck chuckled before looking out the window and letting the rest of the ride go by in silence.

Sam eased the car into a parking spot before jumping out of the vehicle and running his hands through his hair nervously. Puck followed suit, looking around the area once he had gotten out of the car. "Are they already inside?"

"I don't know…" Sam trailed off before pulling his cell phone out. He thought better of texting the brunette and opted for going inside instead. Puck followed him almost like a lost puppy dog.

"Name?" Sam looked up to see the redhead woman looking at him with a smile on her face.

"Berry maybe?" She looked down at her book and nodded before getting a server to show them to their seats. He frowned upon realizing they had gotten there first. Puck looked around the room.

"This place is swanky. Is Berry going to be paying?" Sam shrugged his shoulders, wishing he had kept his original outfit on."Well, I'm not so it's either you or her."

"I figured that much, Puck," Sam replied with a chuckle. He looked up in enough time to see Rachel walking over. She eased herself into a chair between he and Puck.

"Sorry I'm late," she whispered before setting her purse underneath the table. "Traffic was horrible." Sam nodded in agreement. "Noah," she whispered. The mohawked boy looked at a loss for words. "You look good," she added.

"Cool," he replied before taking a bite out of a piece of bread that had been brought to them. "Where's Quinn at?" Rachel looked around as though she had just realized the blonde was missing.

"I'm not sure. I'll send her a quick message." Puck nodded before sending Sam an apologetic look. "What's changed since high school?"

"Nothing," Puck's answer was curt. Sam wondered if the rest of the evening was going to go by just as awkwardly. "You'd know that though if you were still friends with us." She opened her mouth and shut it before looking down to her lap. "That's right though; we left you behind, didn't we? You don't deserve us being here tonight."

"Puck, stop," Sam interrupted harshly. "There's no point in that, alright?" Puck nodded, though Sam had a feeling the game wasn't exactly over.

"It's okay," Rachel replied. "Quinn is on her way, Sam." The brunette boy nodded, excited that his blonde co-worker would be arriving shortly.

"So, about this Quinn girl," Puck stated, "is she a good person? I don't want Sam getting involved with another bitch." Sam's eyes snapped shut at the dig. He heard Rachel's intake of breath.

"I wasn't aware that they were interested in each other romantically," she whispered. Puck smirked but his eyes betrayed his feelings. "Quinn is a lovely girl," she added. Rachel looked over at Sam and attempted to send him a small smile.

"She's just gotten out of a relationship where her boyfriend cheated on her. I doubt she's ready for another relationship. It takes a long time to bounce back from that kind of stuff," Sam replied before taking a drink out of the wine glass.

"Sam, I'm sorry," Rachel whispered despite the fact that Puck was sitting on the opposite side of her. He grabbed her wrist.

"Rachel, let's go talk for a minute," he growled before tugging her away from the table. He wished the world would just open a hole and let him fall through it.

"What's wrong with you?" He recognized that angelic voice. He smiled before opening his eyes to see Quinn standing before him. "Did you scare the other guests away?"

"Something like that," he replied. He pointed to the chair beside him and watched as she sat down beside him. Her hair was let down in loose waves, unlike the tight ponytail she would wear to work. She wasn't wearing much make-up, but she still looked beautiful to Sam. Upon realizing his inner thoughts he began to panic. His insides began to scream "abort" as a mantra.

"You look less uptight than usual," she commented with a chuckle. Sam rolled his eyes playfully before grabbing a piece of bread.

"I'll show you uptight," he whispered before throwing the buttered bread at her. She shrieked before flinging the bread back at him. "Surrender," he shouted. Quinn threw her head back in laughter, and it was then that he had realized what he had done.

"I know that voice," she rasped in between her laughter and attempts at catching her breath. "That was supposed to be James Earl Jones, right?" He nodded sheepishly and ducked his head. "You're so cute, Sam."

"My dorky side comes out when I'm around you," he grumbled.

"I like dorks," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. Sam was certain that he was blushing out of sheer embarrassment alone, but he chose not to respond. The vibrating in his pants pocket signaled a text message coming through.

**Berry's n the bathroom cryin. Im comin back to the table.**

He sighed before looking up to see that Quinn was watching him with worried eyes. "I'll be right back." She nodded as he went to the back of the restaurant to the restrooms.

He questioned his sanity as he pushed the ladies door open and poked his head in. He sighed upon realizing no one was in there. He quickly entered and walked over to the occupied stall. "Rachel," he whispered.

"Sam?" The broken voice came from behind the stall. "What are you doing in here?"

"I came to check on you," he replied, leaving his hand pressed against the cold stall. "Let me in?" She once again began to cry hysterically but opened the door. His heart broke all over again at seeing the wrecked girl. He quickly wrapped his arms around the frail girl and rubbed his hands up and down her back soothingly.

It had been years since he had held her in such a way and all memories and feelings of his past came rushing back.

"Why are you so nice, Sam? I treated you horribly and you're here seeing how I am? No wonder you love Quinn."

"I don't love Quinn," he whispered into her hair. "I'm not going to treat you like crap because of things that happened in the past, Rachel. You hurt me, but I've said some pretty mean things to you, alright? I think that we should leave the past behind us. Puck isn't one to let things go though." She nodded into his chest before pulling away to look into his eyes.

He knew what was coming when he saw her reach up onto her tip-toes. Everything was screaming at him to pull away, to get out, but he couldn't. He was frozen with fear. Her lips pressed against his slowly. It had been the first time he'd kissed her in years and it was exactly as he had remembered it being.

Blonde hair and hazel eyes flashed before his closed eyes. He slowly began to kiss back, easing her against the wall and pressing his hands against her neck. He groaned before logic rushed back causing him to pull away. "Oh my God," he panicked. "I can't…I have to leave."

The last thing he saw was Rachel brushing her fingers over her lips.

**OOOO**

She watched him storm out the front doors of the restaurant in confusion. "I'm sorry, I'll be right back," she stated to Sam's roommate. He nodded but she was already chasing after Sam. She watched as he paced around the parking lot as though he were out of his mind. "Sam," she shouted. The boy turned around and it was then she saw his red-rimmed eyes. "What's wrong?" She walked over and watched as he fell to the sidewalk in one swift motion. She sat beside him and waited with baited breath for him to say something.

"Rachel kissed me." His voice was low and broken. "She kissed me, and now all I can think about is high school and how we could have had everything together. We could have been married by now. We'd be in New York though so she could be on Broadway." He laughed although she wasn't certain what at. A part of her felt disappointed that he was still hung up on Rachel.

"You sound like you had it all planned out." He nodded before plucking at a loose thread on his shirt. "How long were you two together?" She waited on edge for his answer.

"Four years." She gasped. "We were together four years, and she cheated the entire time." It made sense now why Sam Evans was so entirely and completely broken.

It was ironic that the one person she found herself willing to open up to had been the one guy who had been through the exact same thing as she. "With Finn?" He nodded. Suddenly she felt the urge to chop her ex-boyfriend's man-parts off with a butter-knife.

"When she kissed me…" She waited for him to say something. His green eyes locked with hers. "Never mind," he whispered before looking away. "I have to go. Tell Puck he doesn't have to stay with Rachel." She nodded.

**OOOO**

_Dear Ryan,_

_The guy I think I could possibly like is still in love with his ex-girlfriend…_

She rolled her eyes before deleting the message and slamming her laptop shut.

**OOOO**

_Dear Ryan,_

_I think I'm still in love with the guy I dated in high school._

The brunette wiped her eyes with a tissue before continuing to type out nonsense in a drunken state of mind.

**OOOO**

_Ryan,_

_I think I'm still in love with Rachel Berry. Please don't kick me out of your apartment._

_Puck_

He nodded in approval before hitting send and waiting for his best friend to get the letter.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello, hello! It's totally been a while, and I apologize. I've definitely been busy. I just get sidetracked sometimes. Like when the heck did they change the format of this website? Has it been that long since I've actually posted? Heh.

So, I was completely disappointed with the finale, but I won't get started on that. Glee has been a letdown completely this season. This story is completely ignoring the Lucy Caboosey storyline! I bring this up because it says something about Lucy later on. I just want you guys to know that it doesn't actually have anything to do with the crap Glee pulled. I just used it because I can't come up with names. Lol.

So, read, enjoy, and review! Or something like that.

* * *

><p>He grunted in frustration after the fifth attempt to tune the guitar. Of course, he hadn't played it in years which could contribute to its inability to stay tuned. He had woken up with the urge to play, something that he honestly couldn't remember the last time had happened. "Whatever," he grumbled to himself before putting the offensive item back into its hard case and shoving it under the bed. "I didn't want to write a song with you anyway," he said while getting out of his crouched position.<p>

The rumbling of his stomach made him realize he'd rather eat than try to write a song anyway.

"Sup," Puck's voice drawled from the kitchen table where food was already laid out for them to eat. He eyed it warily. "I didn't poison it, man."

"Alright," Sam replied while holding his hands up in surrender. "If I survived the taco fest of senior year then I'm sure I can handle your breakfast attempt, too." Puck crossed his arms over his chest and began to sulk.

"Dude, those tacos were good. How was I supposed to know that everything expired though? Besides," Noah stated while standing up and walking over to Sam, "you didn't have to eat like all of them." Sam shuddered as the memory flashed into his mind. "How have things been going with the blog thing since emails were made or whatever?"

"Good, I guess," Sam replied with a shrug before grabbing a plate form the cabinet. "The only difference is that I get to reply to more people this way." Puck nodded.

"Have you checked the email lately?" Sam shook his head. He opened his mouth to question Puck's snooping, but stopped upon tasting the eggs before him.

"These are actually good, Bro. Let's just hope that I don't get food poisoning or I really won't eat anything you cook ever again." Puck snorted but nodded his head. "I'm so glad it's the weekend. I don't think I could handle having to see Rachel today. Last night was rough."

"Uh, yeah," Puck whispered before shutting the fridge door. "I'm going to go down to the gym. Wanna join?" Sam contemplated the offer.

"I can't. I really need to get caught up with my work." Puck shrugged his shoulders and made his way out of the kitchen.

Sam continued to eat his eggs.

**OOOO**

"Yes, Miss Berry, I had all of the messages faxed to Mr. Johnston. I picked up the demos from Paul, and I'm certain that I mailed off your package." Rachel nodded before glancing out the window. The blonde almost felt sympathetic for the girl after arriving at the office to find her boss looking suspiciously upset. "Buzz me if you need something, "Quinn said before turning to exit the small room.

"Quinn, wait," Rachel shouted. The blonde turned around slowly to face the petite brunette. "I'm drawing up some papers for…" Quinn waited for her boss to finish her statement. "Mr. Evans," Rachel finally provided as though she was unsure of what to call him. "I'll need you to deliver them to him this afternoon when he shows up for work."

"Yes ma'am," Quinn replied.

Rachel sighed, "I'll e-mail them to you. Please print them as soon as you receive them." Quinn nodded before easing out of the office and returning to her own.

She groaned upon realizing that she technically had no work to do until Sam arrived. A part of her wished that she had the brunette boy's number. She hadn't heard from him since the day they all had their dinner fiasco. She simply wanted to make sure the boy was alright. He had broken down in front of her, and it had taken everything inside her to keep herself from kissing away his tears.

She opened her e-mail account and groaned upon seeing all of the unread messages. The majority of them were, for some odd reason, from Finn. She quickly disposed of them without checking their contents.

She signed out of her e-mail before deciding to waste the rest of her day away on celebrity gossiping websites.

**OOOO**

"Mr. Evans, I'm excited to hear that your job with Miss Berry is becoming a permanent thing. Does this mean things are going well between the two of you?" Sam wiped his hands on his slacks in an attempt to get the sweat off of his palms.

"Things are certainly going somewhere," he grumbled. His boss beamed at the prospect of having a success at setting up a young couple.

"As long as you're able to stay ahead with us then I see no reason why you can't keep this job. I must say that your idea to make your columns viral was a hit. Since you do all of your work through e-mails now though I'm afraid we're going to have to give you something else to do as well."

"What do you mean?" Sam quickly interjected.

"You still have to write articles, Samuel. We're still missing a spot where your column went. You're already a hit. Why hire someone else to write about celebrity news when we could use our most well-known journalist?"

"I'm not a journalist," Sam intervened. "Nothing near it." The dark haired woman simply shrugged her shoulders.

"You are now," she replied. "Your deadline is four o'clock on Wednesday. At least have an outline of what you'll be doing." He began to panic as dread filtered through his body. "Sam, you have a chance to write anything you wish. Most journalists spend years working their way up to that point; be happier." He simply nodded and exited the office as soon as possible.

Once he was in the safety of his own room his nerves began to get the better of him. He grabbed the nearest pencil out of the desk drawer and began to tap it lightly on the notepad before him, willing ideas to form. "Great," he mumbled before shoving the items away. "I'm the most non-creative person in the world."

With that he inhaled deeply before turning his attention to his computer. He'd rather be Ryan for the day as it was.

He had failed to spend the weekend catching up with his work as he had originally planned. Rather than replying to e-mails he looked up videos on YouTube. He often wondered if he really was the more mature out of him and Puck.

His eyes widened at the amount of letters he had received in the mere span of a weekend. A part of him felt completely overwhelmed at the thought of having to read through all of the letters. Of course, he probably wouldn't.

His brows furrowed as he clicked on a particular e-mail. He felt distraught and confused. He immediately vented out his frustrations by beating on the keyboard.

_Rachel,_

You say that it has been years since high school and you've only just found this Sam guy again. If the dude isn't opening up about his feelings then he doesn't want to talk to you about them, Rachel. You don't push someone like you are; especially if you broke their heart. Chances are he just doesn't want you anymore. You cheated on him-you humiliated him.

_Why would he ever love you again?_

Best wishes,  
>Ryan<p>

**OOOO**

Her phone buzzed. Text message received from Rachel. She sighed before reading through the long-winded rant explaining that her e-mail was ready to be printed. The blonde briefly wondered if she would be allowed to read the document. It wasn't as though Rachel had told her not to; she simply said to give them to Sam.

She smiled thinking about the mysterious guy. She knew that he was still broken up over something that happened years ago, which disappointed her. She was finally having true feelings for someone that was a respectable person, and he was emotionally unstable and attached to someone else.

She pulled up the e-mail quickly and opened the document before eagerly reading through the document. Words like _I'm sorry_ and _let you go_ forced themselves off the screen. She gasped.

She was firing Sam.

For some unknown reason, Sam being fired was a problem with her. She immediately printed out the paper before flying to her boss's office. Rachel looked shocked to say the least when she bounded in arms flailing while her right hand clutched the piece of paper tightly.

"You cannot fire Sam," Quinn shouted, louder than she had meant to. Rachel's jaw opened and closed. And opened and closed another time before a small squeak came out. "Why would you fire him? He's done everything he was supposed to."

"Why would you read something that wasn't for your eyes? You are an assistant, not a proof-reader." Quinn ignored the smaller girl and instead opted to continue walking over to her. "That's a violation of privacy, Quinn." The blonde snorted.

"I understand that, Rachel. You can't expect me to print stuff off for you though and to not see a little bit. I shouldn't have, sure, but I did." The brunette sighed. "And you can't fire Sam," Quinn pleaded. "He's such a good guy. What's wrong with him working here?" Quinn waited expectantly for something-anything. She was certain that she herself was about to join Sam in the land of un-employment.

"We over-stepped boundaries at the dinner the other night," Rachel shyly admitted with defeat. "I just-well, a part of me just still harbors feelings for him. I shouldn't. He'll never return them. I treated him horribly in the past. I just don't know if I can be around him all of the time knowing that I'm the reason he's still so miserable." Quinn's jaw slacked with her eyebrow arched. The brunette was certain that one day the girl's eyebrow would simply arch completely off her face.

"Rachel." Quinn shook her head, "Miss Berry, I'm not entirely sure about the history you two share." Rachel stared pointedly at her. "Okay, I know some of it, but Rachel you're going to mess up if you fire him. You asked him to work here because you wanted his input, and now you're going to fire him? He's put all of your stuff from the past aside and is trying to start over with you. You firing him is not going to make him want to ever be your friend-definitely nothing more."

"I never said I wanted more," Rachel explained. Quinn scoffed at the brunette's horrible attempt at lying. "I just wish he would want me again, someday." The blonde shook her head; torn between consoling her boss and wishing that the brunette boy was sincere in saying he had no feelings left for the short girl before her. Rachel eased the letter from Quinn's hands before crumpling it into a small ball and throwing it into the garbage can underneath her desk. "You're right. I'm letting my past get in the way."

"Thank you," Quinn whispered and turned to leave.

"Hey, Quinn," came from Rachel just as she had made it to the doorway. The blonde turned around long enough to see the brunette's knowing look. "Let it be known that getting involved with co-workers is a bad idea." The blonde guffawed, despite feeling slightly nervous at what Rachel was possibly implying.

"I agree," the blonde responded. Rachel arched a brow but simply nodded. Quinn quickly ducked out of the office and scurried back to her own.

**OOOO**

"Hello there, Fabray," Sam called out from his place in the lobby. He chuckled upon seeing the doe eyed look from Quinn. "What's going on?" She ducked her head in a move he considered completely adorable. He rushed over to her offering a smile.

"I was heading back to my desk." Sam nodded. "Are you going to check in with Rachel?" He shook his head before shrugging his shoulders.

He ran his fingers through his hair and forced a grin. "No need to; I signed in," he said. She nodded. "Walk you?" He questioned while holding his arm out for her to take. He grew anxious the longer she waited to do something. Finally she smiled, nodded her head, and wrapped her arm snugly around his bicep.

He ignored the urges that pushed him to do something, _anything, _to make the blonde girl be nearer to his body. He wanted to simply wrap his arms around her and enjoy the feeling of her being there. "Did you have a good weekend?" The blonde questioned causing him to cease his walking.

"It was pretty bland after our dinner. Just sat around the house and watched some cartoons." He flushed with embarrassment upon hearing Quinn's laughter. "I know that's really lame," he added awkwardly.

"I think it's cute," she finished. He smiled before turning to look at the blonde whose face had turned an adorable shade of pink.

"I need to get to work," she interrupted once they had reached her place. He sighed but nodded.

"I will-uh, see you later?" She nodded before pulling away from him. He watched as she sauntered her way into her small office.

He wondered what it was that made his heart begin to flutter.

He groaned at the amount of CDs that were piled onto his desk upon entering his own office. He was somewhat hoping that work would inspire some sort of creative spark in him. He still had no clue what his article would be about. He shut the door behind him before easing his way over to the desk.

He turned the computer on, letting it whir to life as he looked through the various CDs in the stacks before him. "Shit," he cursed under his breath. Once the computer had loaded he immediately went to _Ryan's _emails.

His eyes widened as the sidebar alerted him that his Naïve Girl was actually online. She was probably going to send him a letter.

He couldn't explain what possessed him to do what happened next.

**OOOO**

**ISolveYourProbz: **Hello!

Quinn's eyes widened. She had gotten online after Sam had walked her to her door. He was causing feelings to stir up within her that she was unsure about. With no one to turn to she decided to talk to the boy who had been giving her advice.

**Anonymous1: **Hi…  
><strong>ISolveYourProbz: <strong>It showed that you were online! I'm not sure I'm allowed to do this. Should I go?  
><strong>Anonymous1: <strong>I'm at work. And very bored so no. :P Nice username.  
><strong>ISolveYourProbz: <strong>The magazine made it for me. :/ Yours isn't much better, anon.

She chuckled, finding that she enjoyed talking to the mystery guy.

**Anonymous1: **I didn't want you to know who I was…even though I don't know you.  
><strong>Anonymous1: <strong>That didn't make sense.  
><strong>ISolveYourProbz: <strong>Sure it did! So, got any guy problems I can assist with?

Her fingers were hovering over the keyboard. The only guy she could think about was Sam.

**Anonymous1: **What would you do if you started falling for someone who you thought was still in love with their ex?  
><strong>ISolveYourProbz: <strong>You can't help who ya fall for. Are you sure he's in love with his ex?

Quinn frowned. She felt bad talking about Sam despite the fact it wasn't truly talking about him. She looked at the clock setting on her desk and frowned. She still had hours of work with nothing to do. She eyed her screen warily

**Anonymous1: **Want to play 20 questions?  
><strong>ISolveYourProbz: <strong>I'm at work….  
><strong>ISolveYourProbz: <strong>Sure! :D  
><strong>Anonymous1: <strong>What's your favorite color?  
><strong>ISolveYourProz: <strong>Hazel!

She was taken aback by the strange answer. She had never once heard someone refer to that as their favorite color. Immediately she began to type a response but was beat to the punch by the mystery guy.

**ISolveYourProbz: **Doyou like Avatar?  
><strong>Anonymous1: <strong>What kind of question is that? Is that really what you want to use your question on?  
><strong>ISolveYourProbz: <strong>Yep. Got 19 more. It's my most important question anyways…  
><strong>Anonymous1: <strong>Never seen it.  
><strong>Anonymous1: <strong>Why is hazel your favorite color?  
><strong>ISolveYourProbz: <strong>NEVER? :( Im so sad. Because this girl I know has the prettiest eyes Ive ever seen and theyre hazel! What color are your eyes?  
><strong>Anonymous1: <strong>Umm…Hazel? Ha.

She immediately felt stupid. She wondered if Ryan thought she was incredibly desperate and trying to hit on him. Her phone began to vibrate, taking her mind off the computer. She grabbed the device before seeing that she had received a message from Rachel. She made a mental note to do as the text message asked before returning to her computer screen.

**ISolveYourProbz: **Neat! Mine are kinda green.  
><strong>Anonymous1: <strong>How did you get into this job?  
><strong>ISolveYourProbz: <strong>I was a broke college student who applied everywhere. Starbucks, strip clubs, libraries. :P  
><strong>Anonymous: <strong>That's a very broad range of jobs… Ha.  
><strong>ISolveYourProbz: <strong>Well, all the super heroes were taken. No, I really was a poor college kid looking for work. One thing led to another and I found this job. It isn't exactly what I want to be doing, but I've been able to help people one way or another. That kinda makes me feel good.  
><strong>ISolveYourProbz: <strong>I think we can move past twenty questions. How bout we just talk about whatever we want to talk about?  
><strong>Anonymous1: <strong>Sounds good to me.

She tapped her fingers against the dark wood of her desk lightly, waiting for Ryan to say something. She simply had no idea how to converse with anyone anymore. When it became clear that he wasn't going to say anything she sighed and began to look around the room. A poster of her favorite band caught her eye.

**Anonymous1: **Do you play any instruments?  
><strong>ISolveYourProbz: <strong>I actually play the guitar. Kinda. We totally had a fight though. Think she's been mad at me for neglecting her.  
><strong>ISolveYourProbz: <strong>She's probably the only gal I can count on in my life.  
><strong>ISolveYourProbz: <strong>Gotta go. Talk later?  
><strong>Anonymous1: <strong>Definitely!

She didn't know why she agreed to talk to the strange man again. Finn had always said the guy was probably some virginal loser who had been homeschooled all of his life, but she couldn't help but find that she enjoyed conversing with the guy. She liked having the anonymity of it all.

A few minutes after logging out of the fake account Sam barged in. She took in his appearance. He looked somewhat casual that day despite the fact that he was always dressed to impress. His plaid shirt was tucked into the dark blue jeans and finished off with a black tie. It shouldn't have looked good, but somehow on him it did.

"You know we totally could have passed off as siblings or something back in the day," he commented. She must have looked confused; he began laughing immediately. "Our hair was like the exact same color."

"You wouldn't date someone with your hair color?" She questioned with an arch of her brow. He smiled goofily at her.

"Sure I would." It was then that she noticed the tub he was carrying. "This is the yes box," he supplied before setting the crate down gently. "Rachel told me to swing them by here." She nodded and watched as he stood awkwardly. He turned pointed to the door and turned to leave.

"Sam," she called out, unsure of what to say next. She simply didn't want him to leave. She didn't know why. "Do you think you might want to go eat later?" He looked dazed. "Not a date," she clarified after realizing he probably thought she was hitting on him. She wasn't desperate after all.

"Sure," he replied with a small shrug and smile. "Love to. Swing by when you're ready," he added.

**OOOO**

"Mufasa!"

"What?" Sam shrieked, dropping his hamburger back onto the plate. He looked as though someone had kicked his puppy. "Mufasa? How could you say that?"

"Isn't that who you were trying to be?" Quinn questioned.

"Mufasa never said that, Quinn. It was Darth Vader. What is wrong with you?" He took a bite out of the burger and chewed furiously. A part of her wanted to think it was disgusting, but his caveman-like actions were only drawing her into him more.

"I'm sorry that I'm not a nerd like someone else," she replied coolly. He flushed with embarrassment before taking a sip of his water. "I think it's cute though," she added. His blush darkened.

"So, uh, things with Finn?"She shook her head. "That bad?"

"He just wasn't right for me. I see that now. I deserve someone better than that, don't you think?" She added, resting her cheek against her palm. He studied her intently.

"I know you do," he admitted. He broke eye contact and looked at the watch on his wrist before clearing his throat. He whispered, "I guess we should go, huh?" She frowned. She had enjoyed having Sam's company. If anything their meal had made her realize that her feelings for Sam were anything but a fluke.

"Are you still in love with Rachel?" She clasped her hand over her mouth as soon as the question escaped. Sam's eyes widened.

"What makes you ask that?" He asked as though he hadn't a clue what she was talking about. She looked at him pointedly. He sighed but shook his head.

"I'm not," he cleared his throat and tried again. "I'm not in love with Rachel. I don't know her anymore. She broke my heart, sure, but life goes on. Wonder Woman got me through that break-up." She raised an eyebrow at the dorky boy before her but couldn't help but feel slightly giddy.

He paid for the meal and walked her to her car like a true gentleman. He looked incredibly adorable standing there, fidgeting nervously with his hands.

It wasn't her fault that she was someone who typically went after what she wanted. She wanted Sam Evans. She reached up to press a kiss against his cheek but was blindsided by his awkward shuffle to get away. Instead he stuck his hand out.

She shook it quickly before pulling away and rushing to the driver side of the car. "Quinn, wait," Sam called after her. She ignored the pained expression on his face. She was the one that got rejected. She hadn't even tried to give him a real kiss, and she had been denied.

**OOOO**

"You're getting in late," Puck called from the couch. Sam grunted. "Dude, what's wrong with you?" Sam walked past the living room and into his own bedroom choosing to ignore his roommate for the time being.

He had spent the entire ride home beating himself up over the Quinn ordeal. He wasn't sure why he moved out of the way. He was obviously developing real feelings for the blonde girl. He had been going without feelings for so long he wondered if he needed to look into asexuality, but the blonde made him feel things: emotionally and physically. He just couldn't understand why he was still so emotionally stupid.

He loosened his tie before easing his shoes off. Pissed off didn't even begin to explain how he felt at that moment. He eased out of his pants and threw the tie across the room before hastily unbuttoning his shirt and dropping it to the floor. Cleanliness could wait until the next day.

He plopped down onto his bed and pulled his laptop out of the bag resting on the nightstand. He fist-pumped in victory after signing into his pseudonym's account.

**ISolveYourProbz: **You're online!  
><strong>Anonymous1: <strong>I am! Why are you?  
><strong>ISolveYourProbz: <strong>I spend all my time working! :D What is your name?

He scratched his chin lightly and waited for a response.

**Anonymous1: **Lucy!

He chuckled, certain that it wasn't the girl's name. It had taken far too long for a response, but he didn't have a problem with not knowing.

**ISolveYourProbz: **Nice name. How was work, Lucy?  
><strong>Anonymous1: <strong>Good. Went to eat afterwards with a guy I was finally beginning to open up to. Didn't go too well.

Sam grunted. It definitely sounded familiar. He could sympathize with the girl but opted to keep his own love life out of it. He didn't get paid to complain about the things going wrong for him.

**ISolveYourProbz: **I'm sorry.  
><strong>Anonymous1: <strong>Don't be. How many girls do you have writing you per day, Ryan?  
><strong>ISolveYourProbz: <strong>A whole lot! I can't write back to them all, but some of them don't need responses. They are dumb. I only write back to the ones I feel like are important.  
><strong>Anonymous1: <strong>You thought I was important?  
><strong>ISolveYourProbz: <strong>Of course.


	6. Chapter 6

You know, I never make Finn a bad character unless I'm writing for Sam and Quinn. I don't understand. Lol. Oh well! :P Anyway, this chapter is kind of long-ish. I think I'm going to start writing shorter chapters.

Anyway, this isn't checked for mistakes. Once it got to be as many pages as it was I decided I didn't want to read all of it. Haha.

Hope you read, enjoy, and review! :) Or two out of three isn't bad.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry that I acted like an ass."<p>

"No, dude that totally won't work. I apologized for being a dick once, and I ended up getting slapped again."

Sam groaned before falling backwards onto the couch. Puck eased beside him and patted his shoulder. "Look, maybe you should walk up to her and be all, 'kiss me again, woman.' I'm pretty sure that would work out well enough," Puck explained in excitement.

Sam had spent the rest of the weekend moping around for his lost chance with Quinn all while being somewhat happy over the prospect of having a new "friend." He wasn't sure what the word was one used when talking about an anonymous person they chatted with online. Regardless of the fact he found that Lucy, or whatever her real name was, was someone that could understand him and connect with him on levels that no one else understood. It had been kind of nice, he realized, breaking down his own walls for someone else.

He only wished that someday he would be able to do it to someone he truly knew. He was tired of hiding his heart behind walls that were impossible to break. As much as he liked being Sam Evans: resident nice guy and good friend, he was ready to admit that he was lonely. Lucy had helped him to see that he was never going to be happy just standing in the background.

He obviously had things he needed to do to get his life back on the right track.

The beginning of the new Sam had to start with an apology to Quinn about how insane he had acted the night of their date. Puck was trying to help him with his apology speech but it had proven to be a waste of time. All of the ideas thrown at him by the self-proclaimed badass involved mounting her in some way. He was certain that was a sure way to end up with a restraining order-not forgiveness.

**OOOO**

He had worked all weekend on his assignment for Mrs. Epstein. He had heard Rachel talking about some guy in another magazine who wrote about his love-life. Sam simply thought why not? He couldn't actually be that much of a loser that no one would want to read his pathetic love stories.

_Just Because There's a Way Doesn't Mean There's a Will_

_Ryan Jackson*_

_I've never been the type of guy to be out there with my feelings. I'm not the guy who feels comfortable going up to a girl and asking her out. If anything I'm the guy that sits on the sidelines watching the other couples walk on by. I've been single for the past three years. I've gone on a total of six dates. They all ended the same way. I told them I had a nice time. I went home, threw their number away, and played some video games._

_It isn't that I don't want to date. I just don't trust myself-or them for that matter. Love isn't worth it anymore. Or at least, that's what I had been telling myself. Now I'm coming around to the idea of finally putting myself out there, but I don't know how. _

_My ex-girlfriend, we'll call her Lauren, okay? Okay. Lauren and I dated for a long time, but she did me way wrong. She played me and broke me. I kind of swore off of girls after that. I just didn't want that heartache ever again. If you date then you risk falling in love. If you fall in love then you risk having that heartache all over again._

_Now I've found this girl who is completely amazing. She makes me question my feelings about hating love. Her name is, let's say Jessica. Jessica is everything that Lauren wasn't. It isn't a good thing. It isn't a bad thing. It's just new, which is what I need. I don't know how to make myself seem cool enough for this girl. I think she's interested in me, but I don't know. _

_I'm afraid._

_I had a chance with her the other day and I blew it. I'm an asshole who blew it. I'm sure you're thinking, "What guy isn't an asshole?" But really, I'm not. I try not to be anyway, but I really was one with Jessica. I'm trying to bring myself to fix it all though. _

_I'm going to try and find a will so that there will be a way. We'll see if it works out next time._

"Is this about Rachel?" Mrs. Epstein asked with a small, knowing smile. Sam ran his hands over his tie and sighed.

"Well," he replied, "sort of." He didn't exactly lie. The article had alluded to Rachel in some part. It probably wasn't the girl that his boss assumed he was referring to, but that part was slightly irrelevant. He wanted to tell his boss that no, he was never going to be interested in the girl she had set him up with.

But he didn't particularly want to be fired.

"This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I told you to write whatever came to your mind," she explained. He shrugged his shoulders. He didn't have anything else to offer her. "I'm really excited to see where this goes though." He gave her his biggest fake smile, hoping she would not realize it. "Of course this means that you'll have to attempt to woo this girl now." He nodded.

"I'm aware," he replied casually. Inwardly he panicked. He hadn't been aware at all, actually. He hadn't planned on actually having to follow through with his article.

**OOOO**

He had felt great upon waking up that morning. He knew that he would get to apologize to Quinn and hopefully make things okay. He hadn't anticipated her not being at work though. He had shown up fifteen minutes early just to be able to talk to the blonde girl.

He sighed as he stared at the locked office door. He couldn't understand why it made him somewhat dejected knowing she wasn't there. It wasn't as though his entire work schedule revolved around the blonde. He began to trudge towards his own office but turned around at the last minute.

He had set out to apologize to the blonde that day and he was going to do it no matter what. He jogged lightly towards his destination, hoping that what he was going to do wouldn't be considered highly inappropriate.

He knocked lightly on the door before him before poking his head inside. The brunette girl waved him over, a bright smile on her face. "Sam, how are you?" She chirped. He smiled before taking a seat in front of her.

"I'm actually doing alright, Rach," he supplied. He couldn't help but grin in return after seeing the way her face lit up at the simple small talk. "How have you been?"

"Well," she instantly replied, "I've been hard at work. I find that if you busy yourself with work you don't realize all your shortcomings." His smile quickly turned into a frown. "Anyway, what can I do for you today?" He didn't want to simply ask for Quinn's number after being dealt that previous information. It seemed downright cruel in a way. Still, he had to get the blonde's number.

"I actually needed two things from you." She nodded and waited for him to continue talking. "Puck and I were going to one of our friend's gigs. Do you want to come?" He had never actually responded to the e-mail Puck had sent him a few weeks ago professing his love for the brunette.

He had always known, even back in high school, that Puck had been in love with Rachel. He had been good at hiding his feelings, but they were still there nonetheless. Sam had never rubbed his relationship with Rachel in Puck's face. He assumed it was the only reason that Puck had sided with Sam when the entire "Finchel" scandal had been shed into the light.

Sam knew it was time to help his roommate though.

"Sam," Rachel whispered, "I'm not sure that's a good idea. The last time Noah and I were together…"

"He made you upset," Sam interjected. "I know, but he really felt bad about that, Rach. You have to believe me that he wants you there." She frowned but her eyes betrayed the excitement she felt. "Please?" She nodded. "Good."

"What else do you need?" Sam scratched his neck lightly.

"Quinn Fabray's phone number."

**OOOO**

He hadn't been given her phone number after all. Rachel had denied him his one basic need. Perhaps he was over-exaggerating. She had told him that sometimes showing up at an apartment unannounced had a better effect. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he took her word for it.

He had spent the last five minutes peering at her apartment door. He was slightly ashamed that he remembered how to get there. He lifted his hand to knock only to lower it again. "Dude, you totally got this," he mumbled to himself before once again raising his hand, this time actually knocking.

He frowned when no one answered the door. He should have forced Rachel to give him Quinn's phone number. Instead he was standing in front of her door like an idiot. He turned to go but quickly halted his movements upon hearing the door open. "Sam?" He instantly took in her features and growled.

"What's wrong?" He asked with concern. She shook her head and simply opened her door for him to enter. He followed after her, shutting the door quietly behind him. "What's wrong, Quinn?" He wasn't sure if repeating the question would actually earn an answer, but he knew it was worth a shot. It was then that he looked around the small living room. It had been completely torn apart. Books were strewn about the floor. He spotted a few broken picture frames lying around. "What the hell happened here?"

"Finn came by," she began. Sam immediately saw red. Had the gigantic baboon done all of that? Even worse than that, Sam thought, had he hurt the blonde?

"Did he touch you? Are you alright? What happened?" She offered a watery smile and a small chuckle at his concern. "Quinn, tell me what happened," he whispered while grabbing her elbow. He led her to the couch, careful to avoid the broken glass on the floor. She instantly crawled into his embrace and began to cry lightly into his chest.

"I never thought he could be so mean," she whispered. He began to rub his hands over her back, hoping that it would calm her some. "He said he just wanted to talk so I let him in." Sam nodded, letting her know that she could continue talking whenever she was ready to. His movements on her back never slowed. "But then he started talking about you again. He said that he knew we were together and that I had no right to cheat on him." Sam's jaw clenched. "I told him that we weren't together and that I never cheated on him. Finn just doesn't seem to understand anything. He started yelling at me for being a bad girlfriend and always trying to hurt him."

"But did he hurt you?" Quinn shook her head. He felt somewhat eased at knowing that the boy he had once known hadn't hurt the blonde. "I'll clean this mess up for you, okay? Why don't you go take a bath?" She nodded and watched as he went to work picking up various items that had been thrown.

"Sam?" He looked up, almost startled by the strength in her voice. "Why did you come by?" He bit his lip in contemplation. He wanted to tell her that he was sorry for the other night and that he truly wanted to attempt something with her, but he knew that it wasn't the time to tell her anything like that.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay." She nodded and retreated back to her bathroom.

**OOOO**

"This sounds like something from a TV show gone wrong," he commented. Quinn tilted her head back and giggled. Sam beamed at the prospect of making her laugh. "Maybe I should be your body-guard, huh? I'm not as tall as Finn, but I'm sure I could pack a punch." Quinn wrapped her arm around his bicep and squeezed. He ignored the tingles he felt as soon as her fingers touched his skin.

"I don't know," she giggled. "You seem kind of weak to me." He hid his grin behind the mock glare he gave her. "Oh Sam, don't be offended."

"How can I not?" He whined while jutting his lower lip out. "A pretty girl has insulted me and my muscles." He began to flex his muscles but stopped upon seeing Quinn's face. The blonde's cheery expression turned serious immediately, and Sam had to wonder if he had said something wrong.

"You think I'm pretty?" She whispered, all trace of humor gone. Sam scooted himself over so that he was facing Quinn entirely.

"Quinn, you gotta know that every guy, hell even girls, think you're the prettiest person out there." His voice was low; he was almost afraid that if he spoke too loud the spell between them would be broken. "I'm not telling you something you don't already know."

"You ran away when I tried to give you a kiss on the cheek, Sam." Her head bowed in humiliation. It was then that he realized how much he had truly hurt the girl in his moment of panic. "That doesn't exactly scream to me that you think I'm attractive. It didn't even look like you wanted to be around me!" She shouted, pulling away from his touch.

"Hey," he interrupted, "that isn't true. I was just scared and stuff, okay?" She looked at him incredulously, as though he were just pulling stuff to say out of his ass. "I don't know how to act around girls, alright?" She nodded but said nothing else. "I don't know how to act around _you_." His voice trailed off into a whisper.

He saw the confusion in her eyes and decided to just go for it. He closed his eyes and prayed that she didn't laugh in his face. He leaned forward, shivering slightly when she felt her breath on his lips. With a final surge of courage he closed the small gap and rested his lips lightly against hers. For a moment it was nothing but mere pressure. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable; he simply gave her the option to pull away.

When she didn't pull back, he began to high-five himself internally. Delicate hands fisted themselves into his shirt. The kiss continued to be unhurried and languid. Sensing that Sam wasn't going to deepen it, Quinn became bolder, dragging her tongue across his soft bottom lip. He wondered if he was out of practice and ruining the moment for her. All thoughts banished when he heard the blonde girl whimper as he parted his lips to accept her. He felt somewhat ashamed that he was making her lead things.

With that final thought he reclined on the couch, pulling her flush with him. The small movement caused his pants to tighten, efficiently bringing him out of his kiss induced haze. He ended the kiss with a few small pecks.

Quinn hovered above him with flushed cheeks and darkened hazel eyes. He couldn't help himself as the words, "you look beautiful right now," spilled out. She smiled before curling into his chest.

**OOOO**

"I should leave," he whispered while stretching. They had spent the rest of the afternoon and night watching movies like some sort of teenage couple. She couldn't help but feel slightly giddy. With the breakup from Finn still fresh in her mind she had been unsure if she was ready to move on, but Sam had easily erased any and all of her doubts.

She only wondered if he would handle everything the same. He was guarded and easy to scare. "You don't have to," she replied. He gave her a small smile before popping the muscles in his back.

"I actually do. I have to go to a friend's band thing tonight with Puck…and Rachel." Her eyes narrowed, the brunette long forgotten. "I think you and I have a lot of stuff to talk about." She nodded, unsure of what he meant. "But I want you to know that I had a lot of fun with you tonight."

She walked him to her door and watched as he slid his shoes back on. "Do you regret anything?" He looked as though he were deep in thought. He broke out into a huge grin before setting his arms around her waist and pulling her in for a small kiss.

"Definitely not," he whispered upon breaking away. She opened the door for him, watching as he took a step out. "You know," he called out, turning back around so that he was once again inside her apartment, "you could always come with us. We could redo that work-date." She arched an eyebrow. "But that's only if you want to go," he added nervously.

"I'd love to," she whispered. He smiled, nodded, and then scratched his head.

"Do you think I could get your number?" He questioned while shuffling his feet. She wanted to laugh at the boy's antics. He made everything seem as though they were sixteen year olds.

And she found it adorable.

**OOOO**

"What are you telling me, bro? Did you tap that?" Puck bit into the piece of pizza he held in his hand while looking at Sam. "'Cause I'm totally going to give you a man-hug if you did."

"Save the hugs, Puck. I didn't do anything." Puck's face fell but before Sam could question it the boy was taking another bite. "You need to actually dress like a normal human being tonight." Puck cocked his head to the side.

"Why is that? It's just Patrick's band. I don't even really want to go." Sam chuckled, unsure of how to tell his best friend the next part.

"We haven't talked about that letter you wrote me a few weeks ago, man." Puck looked away. "I'm not mad at you for still having feelings for her, Puck. You gotta know that." He nodded but said nothing else. "I really think that you two should talk, for real. I know you're capable of having emotions, so use 'em." Puck scoffed.

"I will when I'm ready," Puck replied without malice. Sam chuckled awkwardly, earning a look of confusion from Puck.

"I hope you're ready by tonight," Sam whispered to himself. He took a few steps back when Puck's eyes widened in realization.

"You didn't," Puck shouted before standing up to lunge after his roommate. Sam shrieked before running towards his bedroom.

Once the door was locked behind him he did a small victory dance of surviving Puck's anger. He checked the watch on his left wrist and sighed. With hours to spare he decided to get some of his work done. Rather than plopping down on the bed, he grabbed his laptop and headed over to the small desk.

He was signed into the magazine's email account within seconds; the amount of mail glaring at him was overwhelming. He was tired of working under his boss. Growing up he had never had ambitions to work for a magazine. He lazily wrote back to several women who were complaining about their boyfriend's inability to commit before he noted that Lucy was online.

He frowned; he hadn't really thought about the girl much since he had spent the majority of his day with Quinn. He felt disgusted with himself though. Why was he slightly upset that he had worked things out with Quinn? He supposed it was because he knew he would have to send Lucy packing.

**ISolveYourProbz: **Hey! How was your day?  
><strong>Anonymous1: <strong>It was good. Then it was bad. Then it was horrible. In the end though it turned out amazing.  
><strong>ISolveYourProbz: <strong>Ohhh. What happened?  
><strong>Anonymous1: <strong>The guy I work with that I told you about came back around. He and I sort of have a date tonight.

Sam scratched his chin in confusion. It was odd that he and this girl were always having the exact same problems. He wasn't the smartest guy in the world, but he knew it was kind of weird. He then panicked. What if the girl worked for the FBI or something and was trying to catch him for some sort of cyber harassment or something.

**ISolveYourProbz: **That's good. Ok. Just don't let him rape you or something.  
><strong>Anonymous1: <strong>Sam wouldn't hurt a fly.

His jaw dropped. He knew it wasn't possible that it was him they were talking about, but it was slightly eerie. He nodded to himself before quickly logging out. He looked at his watch once more and decided it was time for a shower.

**OOOO**

Things had been awkward.

Puck and Rachel were kind of just staring at each other while Sam and Quinn tried to converse. He felt bad that he had put his best friend in that position with the brunette, but Puck was always on his ass about finding himself a girl. He figured he should return the favor.

He felt a particularly hard nudge from beside him. He snapped his head to the left to look at Puck in confusion. "Finn's here," he whisper-shouted into his ear. The loud music from the live band kept Rachel and Quinn from hearing. Sam nodded before looking around the venue. It wasn't entirely crowded so all he needed to do was look for the tallest person there.

No more than five seconds had passed before Sam's eyes locked onto Finn Hudson. He was shamelessly throwing himself at different girls. Sam rolled his eyes before excusing himself from his small group. He wordlessly communicated with Puck-wanting the boy to keep the two girls away. With that he made his way over to where the taller boy was standing. "Sam Evans," Finn stated once he made eye contact. "What are you doing over here?"

"I wanted to talk to you," was all Sam said. Finn nodded towards an empty space; Sam quickly followed. "Listen dude, I don't know why you have such a problem with me. I never did anything to you." Finn nodded, lips curled into a look of disgust.

"See man, the thing is that the entire time Rachel and I were together, I knew she only cared about you." Sam rolled his eyes. "Then I find you in my girlfriend's apartment. I don't understand how Sam Evans keeps sliding into my life." Sam turned around to make sure that nobody from his party had found him before invading Finn's personal space.

"Listen to me," he snarled, "I'm not the same guy I was in high school. I didn't kick your ass then because I thought I was being the better guy, but now I don't so much care about that." Finn threw his head back and began to laugh.

"You couldn't touch me if you wanted to, Evans." Sam arched an eyebrow. "Want to know how I know that?"

"Yeah, please do tell," Sam mocked. His fists were clenched at his sides-anything to keep him from punching the douche in front of him.

"Because I'm sure if you did that then your chances with my girl would be ruined. Don't you think she would think you were an ass for hurting the one guy she truly loves?" Sam growled at the look of complacency on Finn's face. Finn looked past him for a moment before letting his eyes snap back to meet Sam's. "Did you come here with Quinn?"

"What if I did? It quit being your business when she dumped your ass." He watched as Finn lunged at him. He felt the blow before he actually realized what had happened. He blinked a few times, wincing at the amount of pain he already felt before he took another blow to the back of his head. Sam fell to the floor with a wail before rolling out of the way of Finn's lumbering limbs. He eased himself back up before rearing back and punching Finn in the jaw. Finn fell to the floor; Sam quickly followed, almost straddling him. "That was for ruining my life in high school," he shouted before throwing another punch. "That was for cheating on Rachel," he added before delivering a final blow, "and that was for messing around on Quinn." He felt two strong arms pull him away.

"You're going to seriously regret that," Finn spat. He wiped some of the blood off his face with the sleeve of his shirt. Sam struggled against the hold on him. Finn attempted to lunge at Sam once again but was held back by what looked to be two high school aged kids.

"Let me go," he shouted before realizing it was Puck's arms that were holding him back.

"Dude, take Q and Rachel outside, okay? We don't need to get the cops called on us." Slowly but surely Sam quit struggling.

"Thanks," he whispered before hobbling towards the exit.

"This is for looking like a douche bag," Puck added before giving the giant one last punch. The men holding Finn back quickly let go after that.

**OOOO**

"Oh my God, Sam," Quinn screeched once they had made their way outside. He propped himself up against the wall of the bar. "You poor thing," she whispered while gently brushing her fingertips over his already bruising eye.

"What happened back there?" Rachel interrupted. Sam groaned before he looked up to see the brunette, visibly shaken. Quinn didn't look much better. He wondered what he looked like. He wiped his hand over his nose and groaned when massive amounts of blood met his line of sight.

"I'm going home," Sam grumbled before shoving the two girls away. He wobbled a few more steps before sitting down in the alley. "No I'm not," he grumbled.

"What made you do that, Sam?" Rachel shouted. "You had no right and now you're hurt. You're better than that." Quinn felt jealousy stirring deep within. She didn't want her boss worrying over Sam. That was her job.

"Sam, what did he say to you?" Quinn questioned before crouching down beside him. Rachel quickly followed her lead. She kind of wanted to punch the brunette.

"He was just talking about you, and I got mad. I'm so sorry," he shouted, wincing as the pain escalated.

"I heard," Quinn whispered, "I heard you when you were punching him." She offered him a smile, letting him know that she wasn't angry with him.

"Wait," Rachel once again interrupted. "You said that you punched him for playing Quinn or something." Sam nodded before letting his head loll to the side. "How do you know Finn?" She asked the blonde.

"We dated," Quinn replied. She saw no point in lying to the brunette. Rachel witnessed everything that happened; she couldn't necessarily lie. "When you found out he was cheating on you, he was doing it with me." Rachel's jaw dropped. "I didn't find out until much later on. Rachel, I didn't know he had another girlfriend. I just found out a few weeks ago, I promise."

"I see," the brunette stated before pursing her lips. "I think we should worry about Sam at the moment. We'll talk later." Quinn nodded before giving the slumbering boy her attention. "He doesn't need to sleep. He could have a concussion." Quinn nodded before shaking Sam's shoulders lightly.

"What?" Sam whispered with one eye open.

"We need to take you back to your apartment," Rachel supplied. Sam nodded. "I'll go get Puck. I'm surprised he isn't out here yet."

Once the brunette had disappeared Quinn threw herself into Sam's arms. "I'm so, so sorry," she whispered before pressing a kiss to the tender flesh. "This is my entire fault." He shook his head before running the pads of his thumbs over her cheeks.

"Totally not," he replied. "Will you help me up?" She nodded before pulling away. After she had stood up she offered him her hand, tugging hard when he began to ease himself off the ground. "Can I get a kiss?" He whined.

"Maybe after your face has been cleaned." He pouted, adorably she might add, before she leaned over and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips.

**OOOO**

The quartet made it back to Sam's place in one piece. Puck had helped the boy up the stairs to his apartment and gotten him into his bedroom before turning to look at the two girls standing before him. "It's pretty late. You two can stay the night." Quinn was about to protest but looked at the battered boy on his bed and sighed.

"I'll sleep in here," she offered. Rachel looked at Puck before shuffling into his side. Quinn arched an eyebrow but turned around to look at Sam intently. His t-shirt was ruined. His nose was still bleeding. His face was already swelling. Her heart was breaking just from looking at him.

It was going to be a long night.


	7. Chapter 7

I'm pretty sure this story is only going to have like three more chapters. I don't want to make it long and boring. But I do have another story planned out for them so who knows? Maybe I'll start writing it now so I'll have some chapters in advance.

Anyway, I don't usually comment on the actors from Glee, but I wanted to say that I truly think Dianna Agron is admirable. The fact that she was willing to wear that "Likes Girls" t-shirt during BTW in Toronto was pretty awesome. Maybe it's just because I'm too liberal or something, but I really thought it was awesome of her to show her support for gay rights like that.

Now that mah rant is over I'll let you guys read the new chapter.

* * *

><p>"Where is your bathroom?" Sam grunted but Quinn was certain he hadn't a clue what she had just said. She walked over to his bed and sat beside him, letting her fingers run through his dark hair. "Sam, where is the restroom? I need to get you a cloth." He gave her a small grin before trying to scoot himself up so that he would be resting against the headboard. "No, lie down," Quinn snapped. Sam's eyes widened at the harsh tone of her voice and melted back into the mattress.<p>

"It's down the hall, on the left. If you go too far then you might walk in on Rachel and Puck doing…something." He tried to smile but realized his face was in no position to show expressions or emotions. He wondered briefly if it was what women who had Botox felt like.

"I'll be right back," she whispered before pressing a kiss to his forehead. With that she eased out of the bed and left his bedroom.

Sam sighed. He wasn't sure where things stood with Quinn and himself, but he knew that he wanted to talk about it. He briefly wondered if she would be upset with him for fighting her ex. At the thought of Finn, Sam felt his anger boil up again. It wasn't fair that once again a girl Sam wanted was tainted by Finn's touch.

Would he ever get to live a life that didn't have Finn invading somehow?

Before he was able to give anything much more thought, Quinn returned with a damp washcloth. She eased over to his side and began to press the cool cloth under his nose. He figured she was attempting to get the dried blood off. He couldn't help but feel slightly manly with his battle wounds. She poked his nose accidentally, eliciting a hiss from him. "That wasn't manly," he mumbled to himself. Quinn pulled away from her work to give him a small-knowing smile. "Did I say that out loud?"

"You did," she responded before going back to work. The cloth felt good against his skin. The coolness of it made the stinging of his nose feel slightly better. "Sam, why did you hit him?" He attempted to roll over onto his side, away from her prying eyes. She scoffed, grabbed his wrist, and tugged, preventing him from moving.

"I told you," he whispered, making sure to not make eye contact. "He was talking about you. I told him off, and he punched me. I wasn't going to let him get away with it, Quinn. You don't deserve that, you know?" A few seconds passed in complete and total silence. Sam hesitantly raised his gaze to see her biting her lip. "If you're mad at me then I understand."

"Sam," she whispered while stroking his face. He opened his mouth to respond but quickly shut it upon seeing the blonde slowly leaning in. He shut his eyes when he felt her breath mingling with his. Slowly she pressed her lips against his-making sure to not touch anything on him that could possibly be sore. He hissed anyway. "I'm sorry," she exclaimed upon pulling away.

"Want to cuddle?" She couldn't help but grin at the goofy look he had on his face. It was carefree and open, something she had never seen from Sam. She supposed it was what he looked like during his high school days.

"You sure you can handle that?" She questioned. He nodded and stretched his arms out. She rolled her eyes playfully and eased her shoes off before making her way over to the other side of the bed. She climbed onto the mattress and rolled over so that her head was resting lightly on his chest. "Tell me what Finn said, Sam."

"He was just talking about how I never would have a chance with his girl because you were in love with him." Quinn smiled lightly knowing that Sam could possibly want a chance with her. "I don't understand why Finn has to just…mess everything up for me."

"I'm not in love with him." He looked down at her and gave her a smile despite the pain it inflicted on himself. "I'm worried about talking to Rachel though. She's going to fire me." Sam snorted, whimpered, and then clutched his nose.

"I don't feel good," he whined much to Quinn's amusement. She reluctantly pulled herself from his strong arms. Sam's well-being was more important to her than her own comfort. He pouted at the loss of contact but said nothing.

"I'm going to get you some more Tylenol." He nodded and watched as she turned to leave. "I'm also going to get this talk with Rachel over with." Sam saw the worry written across the blonde's face.

"Rachel's harmless, Quinn. You'll be fine. She'll understand." The blonde scoffed.

"That wasn't what you said a few weeks ago when you told me that she dated Finn!" Sam looked sheepish. He had forgotten that conversation.

"Yeah but that was before Puckerman began to woo her over." Quinn rolled her eyes at the boy's logic before leaving his bedroom.

She was worried about losing her job. It was stable. It provided her with enough money to live comfortably and have a little extra left to spend on herself. Rachel wasn't a horrible boss either so she kind of had it made-especially now that Sam worked there. She couldn't imagine not getting to see his face every single day.

She stopped dead in her tracks for two reasons. One: she had no idea where they kept the Tylenol. Two: she might have underestimated her feelings for Sam Evans. She was immediately drawn to him the first night they met. She had only pushed him away because of her turmoil with Finn. Then Sam had proved himself to be a perfect gentleman by taking care of her that night. A few days later she had found out they would be working together. It seemed like fate had dealt them both a card, and she intended to do with it what she could.

She shook thoughts of Sam away and made her way towards the other bedroom. She could vaguely hear voices chattering from the inside which only cemented the proof that it was indeed Puck's room and that nothing sexual was going on.

She brought her fist up to knock on the door but stopped in her tracks upon hearing her own name spill from inside the room. She immediately dropped her hand and pressed her ear up against the door. She was aware she looked incredibly stupid and that she was being invasive and juvenile. Somehow she couldn't bring herself to care.

"I have a right to just fire both of them on the spot." Rachel's voice was shrill. The implications of her words weren't lost on the blonde. "She interfered with my personal life. She was the reason my boyfriend was unfaithful for years." Quinn heard Puck laugh dryly.

"Rachel, are you stupid? She didn't know you back then. She got played, too. Finn is a douche. Why are you trying to blame things on Sam's girl?" A sense of pride swelled within her at being referred to as Sam's. She knew that she and the boy were far from being exclusive but things weren't going badly. "And fire Sam if you want. You already fucked him up. You might as well add this to it all. It isn't like you aren't a bitch anyway."

"Noah Puckerman, how dare you call me such names."

"If the bra fits or whatever." Quinn scrunched her face up in confusion. She had never heard it worded like _that _before. "You know what, Rach? I think you should leave. You're frustrating and junk, and I don't do emotions."

"It's good to know some things haven't changed since high school." The blonde tore herself away from the door, sensing that the conversation she was dropping in on was going to rear its ugly head. She scrambled to the bathroom she had been in earlier and opened the medicine cabinet.

After finding the bottle of pills she made her way to the kitchen. She felt somewhat intrusive for just going through Sam's things, but how else was he going to get a cup of water? She quickly grabbed the nearest glass from the cabinet and filled it halfway before making her way back to Sam's room.

**OOOO**

He felt like crap. His head hurt from thinking about all the events that had happened in the span of a few weeks. His face hurt from the events that had transpired that night. He couldn't process why people would willingly subject themselves to love when it came with such costs. He wasn't even in love with Quinn and the goods were beginning to be outweighed by the bad. Kind of. Actually, the more he thought about it getting to punch Finn in the face was actually kind of nice.

But still, there was no way he was going to willingly put himself through abuse to be with some girl, but Quinn wasn't just _some_ girl. He rolled over onto his side and groaned when his face made contact with the pillow. He only hoped that Finn Hudson was somewhere in as much pain as he was in.

"You poor thing," came from behind him. He rolled back over to see the blonde girl standing there with pills and a glass of water in hand. "If it's any consolation you sport the bruised look very well." He chuckled.

"Quinn, can I ask you a question?" The blonde waltzed to the free side of his bed and sat down Indian style. She looked so comfortable and at ease with herself. It was probably one of the few times he had seen her so relaxed. It made him want to ensure that she always felt happy and content. She nodded while holding out the Tylenol for him. "Do you like me at all?" He questioned while easing himself up. She looked taken aback by the question. Her brow furrowed as a small frown etched itself on her face.

"Are you really asking me this?" She leaned forward to rest her hand on his jean clad thigh. "Sam, I know you've been through a lot, but I would never intentionally hurt you or lie to you. I know that maybe your past with Rachel has affected your outlook on relationships in the present, but I'm not her. I'm nothing like Rachel. Maybe in the past but not anymore." He mustered up a small smile and nodded, only slightly confused by her last minute addition to her original statement.

"I just wish you had never been with Finn," Sam whispered before getting out of the bed. "Speaking of Rachel-how did the talk go?" Quinn raised an eyebrow and simultaneously let out a sigh. "That bad?"

"It didn't go at all," Quinn replied, watching intently as Sam began to unbutton his pants. "Should I step out for this?" She forced herself to ask.

"You've seen me in less," Sam retorted causing a blush to form on her face. He let the jeans pool at his feet while he made a move to remove his shirt. He doubted Quinn would have problem with him sleeping in his boxers. They had, after all, slept the same way after one night of knowing each other. "You wanna borrow a t-shirt to sleep in?" Sam questioned while fishing through his drawers.

Quinn smiled, "Please," she said. Sam pulled out his favorite tee and tossed it at the blonde before retrieving back to the bed. He snuggled under the covers, like any real man would do and proceeded to cover his eyes with the palms of his hands while the blonde changed. Within seconds he felt a warm body sliding in next to his.

"Tell me something about you," he whispered while wrapping his arms around her again. She snuggled into his body and pressed an open mouthed kiss to his collarbone.

"I find guys who fight for me really, really sexy," she husked suggestively, planting a kiss after each word. Sam gulped, forcing himself to calm down. He hadn't had sex in a really long time. As much as his body craved it at the moment he wasn't going to cave.

"Really," he squeaked. Quinn nodded before rolling over to straddle his waist. "Oh, God," Sam moaned before planting his hands on her hips. "No, this is bad," he explained. "But sooo good," he added as the blonde began to thrust her hips down onto his. "Quinn, please, stop," he finally spoke. He squeezed her sides, marveling in the sight of her in his shirt.

"I'm sorry. I'm never like that. I promise," she exclaimed with a red face. Sam chuckled before moving his hands to her neck and slowly bringing her in for a languid kiss.

"I didn't say I didn't enjoy it," he whispered once they had pulled away for air. She smiled and much to Sam's relief, rolled off of him. She once again rested her head on his chest and relished in the feel of being surrounded by Sam. "I really just want to get to know you first though, you know?" Sure, his little man wasn't too thrilled with the idea of not taking Quinn, but the rest of his body was content with just being near the girl.

"I'm from Ohio," she whispered while running her hands over his bare chest. "I moved here when I was sixteen." Sam nodded, urging her to continue. "Not by choice. My father kicked me out of the house. I had an aunt who lived in Tustin. She took me in." Sam subconsciously tightened his grip on the blonde. "I moved to L.A. after I graduated because of…" She trailed off leaving Finn left unsaid. "What about you?" Sam coughed lightly.

"Well," he drawled while running his fingers up and down her back. "I don't really have anything to say." She gave him a pointed look. "I've had a pretty decent life, Quinn. The only time I've really struggled in high school was when my father got laid off. We were pretty poor. I worked a few jobs to help out, but it didn't do much good." He sighed. "That's probably the only time Rachel couldn't cheat on me. She was always helping out by watching my little brother and sister." Quinn smiled, images of a little version of Sam running around. "I dated Santana after Rachel and I broke up. Well, she offered to date me to make Rachel jealous." Quinn nodded. "Santana's the girl who you got in an argument with at the karaoke bar."

"I remember her," Quinn chuckled. Sam was certain Quinn wasn't interested in the little things he was telling her, but she continued to give him her undivided attention. "We dated, kind of. All we did was make-out. It turns out she was kind of a lesbian."

"Oh Sam, that's priceless," she whispered, holding back a laugh. "But not uncommon. I went to school with this girl who was ridiculously in love with a very, very flamboyantly gay boy. She wouldn't believe anyone when they would tell her that he was gay." Sam smiled.

"That doesn't make me feel better, Babe," he replied. The blonde stiffened in his arms. He briefly wondered if he had said something to offend her. He racked his brain remembering what they had previously been discussing.

"Too bad," she finally replied with a smirk.

"So…" He cleared his throat. "Why did you get kicked out?" He knew he was over-stepping his boundary. He was prepared to get punched in his already messed up face.

"Um." He could tell that Quinn was uncomfortable simply by the way she felt in his arms. She was no longer touching him affectionately. "Sam," she croaked.

"I'm sorry," Sam cooed immediately. He placed a quick kiss to the top of her head, but a part of him couldn't help but wonder what kind of parent would have kicked out Quinn. She was incredibly beautiful and kind. He couldn't imagine her doing anything that would warrant that kind of reaction from a parental figure. "You don't have to tell me. It totally doesn't change anything."

"I was a bitch." He cocked his head to the side. "I was such a horrible person. My best friend was trying to best me, and I did everything I could to break her."

"Quinn, I don't understand," Sam whispered. The blonde pulled away from him causing him to instantly feel at a loss. She tucked her knees underneath her and opted to look down on Sam while she continued talking.

"I was captain of the cheerleading squad. I had everything. I ruled the school, Sam." He watched as she began more and more wrapped up in her story. He noted the way her eyes glazed over as though she were re-living the memories of her past. "My best friend had _the _boyfriend though. I didn't have feelings for him, but it drove me crazy knowing he had no interests in me. Every guy wanted me," she exclaimed.

"Quinn, I don't think-"

"No," the blonde interrupted, "you should probably know this now rather than later." Sam nodded and waited for her to continue. "I wanted the school to know that I was on top completely…boyfriend and all." Sam clenched his jaw to keep himself from saying anything else. "One night I invited Craig, my so called best friend's boyfriend, over to my place. I only planned on making out with him, you know? But I got drunk and it went too far. I ended up getting pregnant."

He could feel her looking at him, but he knew there was no way he could meet her gaze. He didn't know whether or not the new information would make him feel differently about where they were going. He hated knowing that the girl in front of him was capable of such cruelties. "Then what happened?" He croaked. He kind of thought that this sort of info was more like a third date thing or something.

"My dad kicked me out when he found out, and I refused to get rid of it." Sam choked. The last time he had gone to Quinn's place, admittedly only once, she hadn't had a child around. "Moving in with my aunt was the best thing I've ever done. I was such a horrible girl, Sam. My father kicking me out was a wake-up call. I had to better myself, if not for myself but for the child I was carrying."

"Okay," he whispered to himself. "Okay…" The blonde moved towards Sam and rested her hand lightly on his thigh. He ignored the gasp she let out when he awkwardly pulled away.

"I miscarried," she whispered. Despite the fact that he was slightly in shock from everything he couldn't bring himself to _not _care that she was hurting. He instantly sat up and scooted himself over to her before wrapping his arms around her. He ignored how right it felt to have her head resting in the crook of his neck.

"I'm so sorry, Quinn," he replied but opted not to say more. He had no idea what more he could say. She pulled away after a few minutes and looked intently into his eyes.

She leaned in slowly, tracing his full lips with her finger before closing the gap. In a last second decision Sam turned his head, allowing her to connect with his bruised cheek. "Quinn," he whispered when she pulled away looking completely broken. "I just…."

"We're going to be okay, right?" She questioned, wiping at her eyes furiously. He opened his mouth only to shut it a few seconds later.

"Sure, I'm not unprofessional," he replied with a small smile. "I'll still give you my chocolate chip cookies if you'll give me your coke."

"Sam," she choked out, "I don't mean at work." He knew that. He could have his stupid moments but that wasn't one of them. "You aren't interested anymore. I understand."

"No, Quinn, that isn't it."

"I'm just going to go home," she added before getting off the bed. "I'll see you at work. Well, unless I get fired," she added with a dry laugh.

"No, wait," Sam shouted. He jumped out of the bed and rushed over to her, effectively pinning her to the door. "I don't want you to go," he rasped before pressing his lips against hers-rousingly so. "This doesn't change anything," he whispered while sliding his hands underneath the material of her t-shirt.

Her skin was soft and warm underneath his fingertips. He resisted the urge to rake them up higher and instead continued to kiss her. He shoved his tongue into her warm mouth and grunted when the blonde tangled her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer.

He pulled away but not before nipping at her bottom lip. "I don't want to like push you too far and stuff," he mumbled. "Just, please don't leave. We can cuddle again and stuff. Girls like that, right?" He groaned when he noticed her eyes misting up. "I'm sorry for whatever I did. We don't have to cuddle. I'll even sleep on the floor. I just don't want you to go," he whined.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sam," she whispered before reaching for his hand and tugging him to the bed.

"Cool." With that he once again got beneath the sheets and pulled the blonde flush against him, enjoying the warmth of her body against his. "You know, I think what you did in the past was horrible, Quinn." She stiffened in his arms, "but I know that you aren't that girl anymore. I'd really be honored if you'd consider being my girlfriend. I'm really bad at dating, and I know you know this, but you make me want to try."

She rolled over and pressed a lazy kiss to the corner of his mouth. "This has been an interesting night," Quinn whispered against the stubble of Sam's jaw. "You got in a bar fight. I told you something I'm pretty sure no one in the state of California knows, aside from Aunt Sarah, and Sam Evans got a girlfriend for the first time in how long?"

"Almost four years," Sam answered without thought. "Wait, that means you said yes, right?" She nodded with a giggle. "Well, that's four years I've gone without any loving. You should make it up to me," he added before rolling on top of the blonde and attaching his lips to column of her throat.

"Sam Evans," she gasped, "what happened to the gentleman I knew?"

"I won you over already," he replied. "I don't have to act nice anymore." She guffawed, slapped his chest, and pushed him back off.

"Go to sleep, Sam."

"Why don't you tell me something else about you?" He questioned while running his fingers lightly over the sliver of skin exposed from where her shirt had ridden up.

"Well," she sing-songed, "my first name actually isn't Quinn." Sam faux-gasped. "But if I told you what it actually was I would have to kill you."

"But please? My ego is wounded to match my jacked up face," he pouted. Quinn rolled her eyes despite the fact that Sam couldn't see her.

"It's Lucy!" His brows furrowed. The only other Lucy he had met was the girl from the magazine.

"You're Rachel's personal assistant thing, right?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Do you know a lot about her? She goes to temple with this couple who runs a magazine or something. Do you know what I'm talking about or are you not that involved with her life?"

"The Epsteins?" Quinn questioned. "I've had to deliver them flowers on certain occasions. Why?" Sam swallowed thickly.

"Do you, er, read that magazine by any chance?" Quinn sighed. Finn mocked her for reading it. She was certain Sam would too.

"Yes, I do. Why? It's just a magazine." Sam nodded before rolling away from the blonde so that he was lying on his back.

"No reason. Let's go to sleep."


	8. Chapter 8

I'm so sorry that it has taken me so long to update. I've been in the freaking boonies of Tennessee without internet or phone service. It was horrible. :( I just found out about Chord not being on the next season, too. That's so upsetting. Like, why keep Darren Criss on? I don't like his character though so that could be my problem.

Sorry for the mistakes. I start summer school Tuesday so I don't know when the next update will be, but it will probably be the last.

* * *

><p>When he awoke he realized that his arm was incredibly numb and tingling. Immediately after that he noted that his face felt as though it had been repeatedly beaten by Superman himself. He groaned and attempted to roll over but made it nowhere. His arm was trapped, though by what he didn't know. He peeked open his eyes to find Quinn placed delicately beside him; however, his arm was pinned beneath her body. He couldn't understand how someone as lightweight as the blonde was causing his arm to feel as though thousands of pins were attacking him.<p>

"Quinn," he whispered, hoping she would wake up without much prodding on his end. "Quinn," he whispered again with more urgency. He groaned upon realizing the girl must have been able to sleep through tornadoes and hurricanes. "We have earthquakes here," he told himself before snapping out of his weather induced state of mind. "Quinn," he whined, tugging at his arm. "Do it like a table cloth," he finally told himself before tugging his arm forcefully.

What happened next could only be called next to impossible. The blonde went flying across the bed and into what he assumed was an uncomfortable floor. A loud shriek was heard from his position, breaking his hope that the fall hadn't waked her up. "Oh my God," he exclaimed. "Are you all right?" He untangled himself from the sheets and jumped over to where the blonde had landed and helped her get up. "I'm so sorry, Quinn. My arm was dying, and then I panicked so I pulled like those people do, but you didn't stay put like the dishes!" Quinn rubbed her butt for a moment before looking at Sam with a look he easily recognized. The eyebrow raise never meant anything good.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sam opened his mouth to explain so that Quinn would be in the loop. She held her palm up, silencing Sam from whatever he was going to say. "I also don't think I want to know." Sam looked down but instantly felt a finger resting underneath his jaw. Quinn forced him to look up; she gasped, probably from surveying his face. He had yet to look at it. "You definitely look like a tough guy," she whispered before reaching up to press a kiss to his cheek.

"You know, I think we've moved past the innocent pecks on the cheek," he replied while wiggling his eyebrows. Quinn rolled her eyes playfully and watched as he began to lean in to kiss his girlfriend properly. Quinn backed away.

"No, I have morning breath." Sam pouted but nodded; somewhat thankful she had stopped him. He wasn't worried about her morning breath; he was more worried about what his breath would do to her. He'd already knocked her out of bed; he didn't want to add his breath to the list of the things that could possibly kill Quinn.

He opened his mouth to offer to cook breakfast for the two but a loud scream was heard from down the hall. Sam sighed, unsure of what his roommate had gotten himself into. "I'll go see what's going on," he told Quinn who nodded.

As Sam stood outside Puck's bedroom door, he prayed that he wasn't going to walk into the scene of a porno. With a quick breath he knocked on the door so that Noah would be aware that he was entering the room.

He didn't expect to find Puck standing on top of the bed in hysterics. He looked at the brunette girl who was in the corner of the room screaming as well. "What's goin' on, guys?" Sam questioned rather loudly, hoping the Jewish duo in the room would hear him over their own shouts.

"Kill it, Sam, kill it," Rachel shouted. Sam arched an eyebrow but made his way over to the corner that was being quarantined. He crouched down to find the small spider.

"What's up, Buddy?" Sam questioned while looking at the intruder. "Did these losers scare you?" With that he tossed a shirt on top of the creature and looked at Puck. "The stank from your shirt will kill it." Puck calmed slightly and began to clear his throat. "You're such a chick, Man."

"I am not," Puck whined. He once again cleared his throat and began to beat his chest. "It just caught me off guard." Sam rolled his eyes. "Your face looks great," Puck added. His voice oozed sarcasm.

"Samuel, I must agree with Noah. Your face looks incredibly atrocious. Perhaps at work you should consider wearing foundation." Sam crossed his arms over his chest and huffed.

"I don't understand how you have friends," Sam stated aloud to Puck. "And I'm not wearing make-up," he added for Rachel's benefit.

"Ask yourself, Bruh," Puck replied while running his hands through his mohawk. Rachel looked between the boys expecting some kind of brawl to break out. Sam shook his head in indifference before chuckling.

"How many times do we go over this, Puck? You aren't ghetto. You aren't Jamaican. You're the guy who sits around every night praying in Hebrew when you think no one is listening. Drop the badass act because it doesn't work with you anymore." Sam smirked upon seeing Puck's face flush with embarrassment.

With that he turned to leave. He had breakfast to cook for Quinn.

**OOOO**

"This is actually really good," Quinn mumbled in between bites of food. Sam smiled and continued to watch the girl tear apart her meal. "Plus I haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon so that might have something to do with it." His smile fell.

"So, when are we going to talk?" He asked with an air of indifference. In the back of his mind he knew there was something up with her being almost identical in personality, and well, everything to his online mystery girl. There was also the matter of her past that he still couldn't entirely wrap his mind around. She had helped a guy cheat on someone who was her best friend. Could he really be with someone who had done that when he had been hurt so badly by a cheater himself?

It had been years ago though, and he had no doubt in his mind that she had changed. She was probably one of the sweetest girls he had ever met-ignoring the few bitchy mood swings she had.

"Now?" Quinn offered, pushing her plate of leftover eggs away. Sam ran his fingers through his bed hair. "So talk," she added softly. He could see the worry and fear swirling in her hazel eyes as well as something else he couldn't place.

"I really don't like knowing that the girl I'm actually falling for has done something so, so cruel in her past." Quinn dropped her head and began to pay attention to her hands resting in her lap. "I don't understand how someone like you could hurt your best friend like that, Quinn. You helped the guy cheat. You were Finn." The blonde's head immediately snapped up and looked at Sam.

"I'm not," she whispered. "I'm not anything like Finn," she re-stated, voice unwavering. "I messed up once. I learned from that mistake, and I changed. You know me, Sam." He nodded. "You know the real me. I really don't want this baggage to push you away."

"Last night-after finding that stuff out I didn't know if I would be able to actually commit to a relationship with you." Quinn's eyes began to gloss over. He instantly knew he needed to continue on with his point so that he didn't cause the girl any more hurt. "But just looking at you was enough to change my mind. You're pretty cool, Quinn." She bit her lip before offering him a watery smile. "And the fact that I even doubted your sincerity once makes me an asshole."

"I'll take that," she replied before leaving her chair vacant and making herself comfortable in his lap. "Your face looks so painful, Sam," she whispered before peppering kisses over the tender flesh."

"You can keep doing that," he replied with a sultry grin.

**OOOO**

He stared at the screen in confusion. Everything he thought was true was confirmed. He didn't know if he felt relieved that it was the blonde all along or not. He thought it was kind of cool that the one person he didn't have problems opening himself up to at all still turned out to be Quinn Fabray. He sighed before moving away from her laptop and instead sat at the vacant chair on the other side of her desk.

"Sorry I'm late," a voice called from behind him. He internally felt himself falling apart. He had been so close to being caught snooping on her computer. "I just really wanted that Twix," she whispered showing him the candy bar she had gotten from the break room.

"Well, you know I'm more of a Reese's kind of guy but whatever works for you, Babe," he calmly replied hoping that he seemed calm. "We've been together like four months now, right?" The blonde looked up from her candy bar to meet Sam's eyes.

"Yes," she slowly replied. "We have, why?" He could see some fear swirling around in hazel pools but he decided to ignore it.

"Are you unhappy?" Quinn looked at Sam in confusion before gazing at her computer. She sighed, in what sounded like relief to Sam, when she noticed it was still asleep.

"Not at all, why?" Sam shrugged his shoulders and gave her a sheepish grin. "Sam, what's wrong?" He leaned over the desk and pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek.

"Nothing, Quinn," he replied. "I have to go talk to Rachel about something." The blonde's eyes narrowed at hearing the brunette's name. It hadn't taken much to convince Rachel that he and Quinn needed to stay on with her, but he wasn't naïve to everything that went on around him. He was aware that his blonde beauty was slightly jealous of the history he shared with Rachel.

"You can't talk to me about it?" Sam sighed, rubbed his temples, and shook his head.

"I really can't." He quickly averted his gaze, not wanting to see the hurt shining through in her eyes. "It's just work stuff, Quinn. It isn't anything bad," he added in an attempt to ease her worries.

With that he exited her small room and jogged down the north wing back to his own room and slouched into his chair before opening Ryan's account.

Lately he had been slacking off with the magazine. He was slowly taking more hours on at the label and blowing off Mrs. Epstein. He had hoped that it would result in him getting fired simply because he wasn't sure the woman would allow him to quit.

She was slightly insane.

He shook his head and rid himself of any stray thoughts before his eyes met the information: a new e-mail from one Lucy Anonymous. He had had his hunches that the internet Lucy and Quinn were somehow one in the same, which didn't entirely bother him once he had sat down and thought things through. He had made his mind up that not telling her about his job would be for the best.

She had quit writing Ryan and all had been well. He had taken it to mean that she was finally happy, and that made him delirious with happiness.

It had all fallen apart that day. He opened the message and sighed, wondering what he was about to find out about himself. A part of him believed he needed to just delete the message without reading it since it did potentially have the power to break his heart.

_Ryan,_

_It's been a while since I've talked to you! I suppose that's a good thing though, right? I've finally found a guy who I believe to be truly perfect for me. _

He looked away from the screen and smiled. So far, so good, he mused.

_We are having problems though._

Or not.

_We work as friends, sure, but I kind of feel like that's all we are. We talk and go out on dates, but it still simply seems platonic on his part. I try to make him want me, but he doesn't do anything! He's a great guy, and I know that I'm falling in love with him…_

_How do I make him be… more adventurous? I don't know what I'm even asking. I hope you do._

_-Lucy_

He bit his lower lip and sulked.

**OOOO**

"Mr. Evans, how nice of you to join me," Mrs. Epstein wheezed before puffing out the last bit of cigarette smoke. Sam waved his hands around to waft the smoke into another direction earning a glare from the elderly woman across from him.

"Well, you said it was urgent so I came as soon as I could." The older lady nodded in appreciation before finally putting the cigarette out.

"The Charlie Armstrong is sponsoring some sort of gala, and the staff is going to be there." Sam sat stock-still and waited for something else to be said. "You have a plus one. Please bring a date, Samuel." He frowned. He wasn't currently feeling comfortable around his girlfriend. Every single time they would attempt to go out on a date and do something casual her words loomed overhead.

"Yes ma'am," he replied before scooting the chair backwards and excusing himself.

"I'm excited to see what you and Rachel look like together," she called back once he had made it to the office door.

"Shit," he grumbled.

He quickly made his way out of the building and into the parking lot where he sought out solace in his car. He had forgotten that he was supposedly dating his other boss when it came to his…first boss? He shook his head in confusion before gripping the steering wheel. "Okay, I can't tell Quinn that I have to take Rachel out on a date," he muttered to himself before glancing at the rearview mirror. "I got this under control," he stated aloud before starting the car and easing out of the lot.

Thirty-six minutes later he found himself standing outside of Rachel's office nervously. He was working up the nerve to knock when he saw Quinn out of the corner of his eye coming towards him. He panicked after making eye contact and barged into the brunette's room, slamming the door behind him. "You look like you just found out I accidentally used your toothbrush this morning."

That wasn't Rachel, oddly enough. He opened his eyes to see Puck smirking at him while standing behind the brunette's chair. Sam wasn't entirely sure why he was in that position nor did he care to know.

"Wait, you used my toothbrush?" Puck wiggled his eyes. "That's just gross, man."

"Sam, what can I do for you?" Rachel asked. Sam marched over to the vacant chair and plopped down before letting out a loud groan.

"You have to go with me to a gala," he whined. Rachel looked confused. Puck simply looked amused with himself. "Mrs. Epstein still thinks we're dating." Rachel's brows furrowed. She opened her mouth to speak but a knock interrupted them. "If it's Quinn then don't say anything about this."

"What, why?" Rachel whispered before rolling her eyes. "Come in," she shouted to the door. Sam turned around and watched as said blonde entered the room.

"Why did everyone stop talking?" Quinn questioned to herself. She looked at Sam for answers. "Sam, can we talk?" She questioned after a few minutes of silence. He nodded, looked at Puck and Rachel, and then trudged his way out of the brunette's office.

"What's up?" Sam questioned awkwardly. "I'm thinking about getting a tattoo," he stated, ignoring the look of confusion on the blonde's face. "Like a manly one, you know?"

"Sure?"

"We should go sky-diving. Do you want to go sky-diving?" He was afraid of heights. He wanted her to say no. "We can get the tattoos after we go sky-diving. How about that?"

"Sam, what are you talking about?" Quinn snapped while looking at him as though he had escaped an insane asylum. "Have you lost your mind? I don't want to go sky-diving or watch you get inked." He pouted; his attempts at being adventurous had failed him.

"Well," he looked around the hall, "let's go do it in the elevator." Quinn's mouth opened and closed a few times before she simply shook her head.

"I don't want our first time to be in an elevator, Sam," she whisper-shouted. "What is wrong with you? Do you suddenly have some kind of exhibitionism kink?"

"No," he mumbled before lowering his head. He felt soft fingertips rubbing his jaw before soft lips replaced them. "I can come over to your place tonight for a movie if you want. I'd say you could come to mine, but I don't know what Puck has planned."

"Why are you making plans around him? It's your house." Sam sighed.

"Yeah, last time I said that he just walked around naked. It made me realize that I would rather leave than have to sit around and put up with that. 'Sides, now that he has Rachel I don't want to risk seeing two naked people walking around." He shivered for good measure.

"Sure, my place is fine," she whispered. "See you around six-thirty?" Sam nodded and watched as the blonde turned to return to her office.

"Hey, what if I dyed my hair blue? What about that?" he shouted after her. Quinn spun around and cocked her head to the side. "No blue?" She shook her head and sighed before turning back around. He eased himself back into Rachel's as soon as Quinn was out of sight.

"What was that about, Sam?" Rachel shouted as soon as he was in her line of sight.

"Look, Mrs. Epstein thinks we're still together 'cause I kind of never told her we never were together again because I didn't want to get fired." Rachel rolled her eyes. "Then she said I had to attend this stupid formal event and to bring you. Please, Rachel, you have to do this for me." Puck began to cackle from his place in the corner. "Shut up, Puck or I'll kick you out."

"It doesn't matter how many asses sit in a chair all day, man; at the end it'll be an empty chair." Rachel gawked at the mohawked boy while Sam leaned back in his chair.

"I have no idea what that's supposed to mean," Sam replied. "Anyway," he once again stated, looking at the brunette, "please do this for me."

"When?"

"Thursday, starts at seven." Rachel sighed but Sam knew he had already won her over.

**OOOO**

"Let's quit our jobs and just, like, take a tour across the world," Sam shouted while looking through cabinets for edible food.

"How would we do that without jobs, Sam? I'm not actually fond of being a hippie." Sam scoffed. He had spent the majority of his afternoon looking up ways to be adventurous.

"Well, let's go swim with sharks." He grabbed some doritoes before making his way back into Quinn's living room. He chose to ignore the look of puzzlement on the blonde's face.

"Did you read my e-mail, Sam?" The blonde muttered catching him by surprise.

His response was immediate. "Yes." He couldn't bring himself to lie to her. He didn't want to lie to her. He wanted a relationship built on nothing but honesty and trust. "But Quinn, you should have just talked to me about it instead of writing some dude."

"You went through my personal stuff, Sam. Why would you do that? I don't go through your things. Lord knows what I would find if I dared to go through your closet." She watched hurt flash before his eyes as he visibly recoiled. "I didn't mean that," she whispered.

"You did," he replied. "You meant it or you wouldn't have said it, but that's fine, whatever." He scooted himself towards the end of the couch as far away from Quinn as possible. Several tense minutes passed before he began to realize they were both in the wrong. "Look, Quinn, I just want you to be honest with me."

"Then be honest with me in return, Sam." He nodded. "So, is there anything you want to tell me before we dive into my issues?." Sam swallowed thickly. It was an opening to tell her about his job.

"No, nothing at all." She nodded. "I'm sorry I'm in the friend zone," he changed the subject. Quinn rolled her eyes before scooting over.

"You aren't in the friend zone, Sam. You just make me feel like I'm in the friend zone. Rachel was telling me about all of these things you would do for her in high school; I just don't understand why you aren't like that anymore?" He clenched his fists and looked away.

"I don't know," Sam shouted. "Maybe because I got dumped for being that way. Maybe it's because I suck at loving people. Why were you talking to Rachel about me? Didn't you think that was crossing a line, Quinn? Something?" She immediately leaned over to touch him but met thin air.

He jumped from the couch and immediately went to the front door. "This is a deal-breaker, Quinn. You don't, you don't talk to Rachel about me. You crossed a line."

"No, Sam, I didn't-I was just confused," she shouted while running after him, desperate to make him see things the way that she had.

"Well, you aren't anymore. Now you don't have a boyfriend who makes you feel stuck or confused." He turned the doorknob quickly and yanked the door open. "I really thought this was going to work," he whispered over his shoulder.

**OOOO**

_Ryan,_

_I know I just wrote you talking about how great everything was, but now it isn't. He left me after three months, and I already feel this hole in my chest. Is that normal? I thought it hurt with my last boyfriend, but this is different._

_Why is it so difficult? He found my last letter to you and thought it meant something completely different. I just wanted him to show me that he was falling in love-or that he could fall in love. I made the mistake of asking his ex if he was always hid his feelings. I made a mistake but it completely tore him up._

_Does it say anything about our relationship that this fight was the closest thing to emotion he's let me see? I just want to be able to fix him. I need him to fix me._

_Lucy_

She wiped at her eyes and looked once more at the door willing Sam to burst through it. When it became apparent that it wasn't happening she hit the send button.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry this has taken so long to get up here. I do have some good news though? Sorta? Ha, I have a few chapters of my next Sam/Quinn story ready to be posted so I can upload those whenever you guys want!

Summer school has been kicking my ass, seriously. I don't know why I decided to try and get certain classes out of the way. I dread every single day. :P Anyway, that being said this chapter is rushed, I know. I just needed to get it done with so that I would have one less thing to worry about.

Sorry for the mistakes; they are bound to be plentiful. :D

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><p>He stood outside of the apartment complex before flicking his wrist lightly, sending his watch in the appropriate direction. He sighed and adjusted his tie before pulling his cell phone out of the pocket of his coat and sending the missing brunette a text.<p>

"Dude, you're allowed to wait inside, you know," a gruff voice sounded from behind him. He turned around and was greeted by the sight of his own roommate, who admittedly hadn't been much of a roommate lately. "Rachel looks really pretty tonight. I think you should be honored and stuff that she wanted to go with you," Puck added before adjusting his junk. Sam made a gagging noise before pushing past his sort-of roommate.

"What's going on with you and here, dude? First you're actually showering and then you're staying with one girl all of the time. Should I be worried?" Puck slapped his back playfully and shoved him towards the right direction.

"Little Puck was worried I might get herpes if I kept going down that road. I decided to stick with a clean chick for a while," he finished, much to Sam's horror.

"That's not even…" Sam trailed off, not sure that he actually wanted to continue down the path their conversation was heading in. "Look, I'm glad that you're happy is all I'm trying to say." Puck stopped moving; Sam assumed they had reached Rachel's door.

"Thanks," he whispered in a moment of sincerity. "I'm glad that you and Quinn are doing well, too. I've been kind of worried about you the past few years. You've been like a monk. I can't even imagine how blue your balls are."

"Dude," Sam chastised, "that's disgusting." He felt his shoulders slump with his deflated mood. "We also broke up," he added. He hadn't seen Puck since the break-up, and he had refused to send the guy a text like a heartbroken girl wanting someone to talk to.

"The hell? You didn't tell me because?" Puck snapped, pulling Sam back as he tried to reach for the doorknob. "We're bros, you tell me shit and I act like I'm listening." Sam ran his fingers through his styled hair and sighed.

"Then how do you know I didn't already tell you if you just pretend, huh?" Puck rubbed a hand against his sculptured chin and hummed.

"That's a valid point, but I listen when you talk about blondie just so I can find out if you guys did the deed yet. I need a visual image of that girl." Puck yelped when a fist collided with his bicep. He opened his mouth to question his best friend further, but Sam, anticipating that, opened the door to Rachel's small apartment.

"Rachel," Sam shouted upon entering and finding her looking in a mirror, fixing stray pieces of hair. "Puck was right, you look beautiful tonight." The brunette smiled, meeting Sam's eyes through the mirror, before turning around.

"You cleaned up nice, Samuel," Rachel replied. "Quinn's a very lucky girl." Puck sent him a glare before looking back at the brunette.

"Well, they broke up," Noah exclaimed. Sam then sent him an icy glance in return before holding his arm out for Rachel.

"We need to get going, Rachel. Mrs. Epstein is a crazy old lady. You don't know how she feels about people being late until you suffer her wrath." Rachel rolled her eyes but accepted his arm.

"Bye Noah," she whispered once they walked near the Jewish boy. He sent her a shy smile that turned into a beam upon receiving a chaste kiss on the cheek.

Seconds later they found themselves in Sam's small car, driving towards what he assumed would be a train wreck. "Why did you and Quinn break up?" A small voice whispered from the passenger side. Sam sighed, unsure of whether or not he was ready to have that conversation.

"We just weren't going to work, Rachel," he replied, proud of himself for keeping an even tone. The brunette was tuned well with people and their feelings. He didn't want the girl to pick apart anything because of a hitch in his voice.

"That's not true." Apparently he wasn't as smooth as he thought. He continued to give his undivided attention to the barely moving traffic and prayed that the subject would get dropped. "At least tell me the truth. I'm going to some stupid thing with you because your boss thinks we're dating. The way I look at it, you kind of owe me." He clenched the steering wheel before craning his head to the side to give her an incredulous look.

"She didn't think I was enough for her. I was too boring. She went to you to ask me what I used to be like. She wants the Sam that dated you, not the guy I am today. She doesn't understand that I'm just not freaking ready to get engaged and plan weddings. I'm not ready to be anything but what we were. Dates and stuff like that are cool. I'm just not ready to ravish her on a bed of roses or something." Rachel giggled from beside him, only enraging him further. "This is your fault, you know. You messed me up and now the one girl I've shown interest in since high school thinks I'm a screw-up."

The brunette's laughter quickly diminished. "Sam," she whispered while placing a calming hand on top of his. "Quinn doesn't think that. I know that I hurt you, but Quinn-she gets that. You should give her more credit than that." Sam simply snorted. "And so what if she talked to me? I am her friend. Friends talk."

"It's different and you know it."

"Did she tell you that you weren't enough?" Rachel questioned while slowly shifting in her seat, wary of her dress. Sam mumbled something under his breath. "What?"

"I said no," he repeated. "I found it." Rachel began to laugh again, only this time to his confusion it lacked any sort of humor. "What?" He snapped.

"You went through her stuff. So, you broke up with her because what? She lied to you about some stuff that wasn't that big of a deal? She talked to me? You're kind of doing the same thing, Sam." His jaw dropped.

"No, I'm not," he weakly mumbled, despite the fact that he knew he was wrong.

"Yes, you are," Rachel shouted. "She doesn't know we're going to this together. She doesn't know that your boss thinks you and I are dating, does she?"

"Just shut up," he grumbled before turning his radio on.

**OOOO  
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"Rachel Berry, I'm pleased to finally meet you. Mr. Evans here certainly draws on his work from you." Sam rolled his eyes while Rachel milked the attention. She sent him a smirk and continued to let his boss give her appraises. "He seems to give advice at his best when you two are together."

"Advice?" Rachel questioned before looking at Sam in confusion.

"Oh, nothing," Sam interrupted with a nervous chuckle. "Come on Rachel, I'll get you some wine," he quickly spoke while pulling the petite girl away. "Do you want to go sit down at our table yet or do you want to keep on walking around?"

"We can walk around," Rachel said. "Sam," she whispered after a minute of people-watching. He looked at her, waiting for her to ask a question or tell him that she wanted something. "What exactly is it that you do here?" He grabbed a flute of wine off the tray of a man walking by before tilting it back.

"I write," he replied once he had swallowed all of the sparkling drink.

"Yes, I understand that," Rachel explained, "but what do you do?" He sighed before pulling her towards a vacant stairway.

"You know the advice guy you asked me about once?" Rachel nodded. "You wrote him once, right?"

"No," Rachel trailed off, a small blush adorning her cheeks.

"You did though. He was an ass when he wrote you back, right?" Rachel tilted her head to the side and arched an eyebrow. "I'm Ryan," Sam whispered before letting his shoulders drop-as though he had finally gotten rid of the world resting on his shoulders. "And I know all that stuff Quinn thinks about me because she wrote Ryan. A lot. I'd been writing back to her as him like a long time before we got together." Rachel's jaw slacked. "That's why I couldn't tell my boss that you and I broke up because I would have to invite Quinn to this thing, and then she would find out that I'm Ryan. I'm the guy who has been giving her advice about… me. She would have dumped me on the spot, Rach," he pleaded, hoping she understood his motives.

"Sam," she whispered before pulling his body flush against hers. She rested her head lightly on his chest and sighed into the warm embrace. "You're mad at Quinn for lying to you, but you've been doing the same exact thing," she mumbled into his chest.

A flashing light brought them both out of the intimate position. Sam felt the grip on his arm tighten within a matter of seconds. "Rachel, what's wrong?" He asked before turning to face the camera. Instantly his gaze hardened. "What are you doing here?"

"Did Rachel never tell you?" A laugh. "Or Quinn, you do like my seconds after all. I'm a photographer for the lame events." Sam's jaw clenched as he kept his fists tightened into balls.

"I'm surprised you know how to turn the camera on," he retorted with fire in his eyes. He felt Rachel's hold grow stronger, almost as if she knew that he would lose control. "Take pictures of me, it doesn't bother me," Sam replied before turning around.

"Maybe not," Finn called out. "But they hit the papers tonight. Hope this one doesn't accidentally make it in there with an unflattering caption. Bet your current girlfriend wouldn't like that." Finn paused to let the words sink in. "Or is Rachel your girlfriend again? I can't keep up with you, Dude." He snarled before pushing past the giant and towards the table he was to be seated at, Rachel several feet behind him.

**OOOO**

"Out of all the jobs for him to end up with," Sam ranted after the dinner had officially started. "How could you ever date him, Rachel?" He questioned before stuffing his face with a spoonful of mashed potatoes.

"Sam, I'm sorry for everything that happened in our past. I need you to know that." He nodded. "Within the next month I'm going to be stepping out of my position. I'm going back to Broadway. I don't belong here." He smiled at the thought of the brunette finally getting to where she belonged, and for the first time in years he realized that he was glad he wasn't going to be with her. He had found someone that although not necessarily better or worse, was the person for him.

"I'm really glad, Rachel," his voice conveyed nothing but pure honesty.

"I know this job doesn't really keep you happy. You've done wonders for our system. I was wondering if perhaps you would like to be promoted. You would get trained, you know, firsthand experience and everything so you wouldn't be going in blindly. I think that they could really use you." Sam grinned cheekily before nodding.

"You don't know how long I've wanted out of this job," he exclaimed before taking another mouthful of food.

"You need to work things out with Quinn though," the brunette whispered. Sam nodded; thoughts of how to win the blonde back already racing through his mind.

"Let's leave," he exclaimed before grabbing Rachel's wrist and tugging her towards the exit. He groaned in frustration upon seeing Mrs. Epstein once again waving him over. "Let's leave after we deal with this lady," he explained. Rachel giggled but followed his lead. "Mrs. Epstein, I'm afraid my date is feeling ill."

"Oh, darling, I'm so sorry to hear that," the graying woman explained. "One last picture before you two run off." She twirled into Sam's free side and waved over the nearest photographer.

"Mrs. Epstein," the nervous boy greeted. Sam could only thank the Lord it wasn't Finn again, though he was certain the jolly green giant was around somewhere.

"This is Sam, the Ryan Jackson to our magazine and his lovely girlfriend, Rachel Berry," Mrs. Epstein exclaimed with joy as the flashes went off.

"Right," Sam nodded before grabbing Rachel and running towards the exit, ready to get his blonde back.

**OOOO**

Being without Sam had only made her realize that she had truly messed up. She knew that his past with Rachel still hurt him. Why had she been so stupid as to ask the source of his pain about him? She groaned and rolled over in her bed before picking up the laptop that was placed beside her.

The small computer whirred to life and within a matter of minutes she was on the internet. Her Facebook had been bland without Sam around. She scrolled through the various wall posts he had left her over the months and sighed. Her profile picture was still one that he had taken of them on the couch together, just simply enjoying each other's company.

Opting to not hurt her already broken heart even more she left the Facebook page and instead went to a shoddy gossip website. She flicked through the various pictures of singers and random people she hadn't a clue who they were before a picture of her own boss was displayed before her. The picture was far off, but sure enough it was Rachel standing in the background, arms linked with some guy.

She continued to scroll down until finally placed before her was a picture of Sam and Rachel in some sort of embrace that looked far too close to be something shared by simple friends. She thought about exiting out of the browser completely and just going to bed but curiosity won out. She continued to scroll down before finding yet another picture of Sam and Rachel-this time with an older woman in tow.

_PR mogul Rachel Berry with beau Ryan Jackson and magazine EIC Stella Epstein. _

She looked at the caption trying to make sense of it all. She was positive that it was Sam before her with Rachel. The name, however, sounded all too familiar. She racked her brain for several seconds before a panic crept in. She quickly googled the name before a well-known magazine website flooded her screen.

Before she even had a chance to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together a loud booming noise resounded from her front door. She weakly padded her way down the hall and to the main entrance before pulling the door open weakly. "Sam," she gasped upon being met by the one guy she wanted to throw out and pull in closer all at once. His attire was the same from the pictures she had only minutes before been looking at.

"Quinn, I need to talk to you," he rushed out. "Explain some things that you don't know-things you should know." She wrapped her arms around her body as though to shield his words away from her. "I'm so sorry about what happened. I blamed you entirely, but it was me. It was all me," he trailed off into a faint whisper. She refused to meet his eyes though.

"How long have you and Rachel been together?" She could tell the question caught him off-guard. The way his eyebrows arched uncharacteristically high gave his confusion away.

"No, we aren't together," he spat. "My boss, she thought we were together so I had to take her to this event tonight, but we aren't." With that he took a step forward and wrapped his arms loosely around the blonde. "You know that I wouldn't go there with her again-especially not with you in my life," he sent her his signature grin.

"And what else?" She questioned before taking a step away from him. "What else did you need to tell me?" She held her breath and waited for him to say something. A part of her reasoned that if he came clean about everything in that moment then maybe they still had a chance to fix things.

"I found out about what you considered to be our relationship problems, but it wasn't because I was going through all of your stuff trying to find out anything and everything you did. The guy you'd been e-mailing? Ryan?" She watched as Sam smiled lightly before shaking it away. "That was me. That's my other job. I've been doing it for about a year and a half." Despite the fact that she had her ideas about that being the truth it didn't stop the wind from being taken away from her. "It's a sign though, Quinn. We're meant to be together. We even found each other without knowing it was the other person."

"I think you should go," she replied without emotion. She avoided looking at Sam for fear or what his reaction would be. She knew she would cave if she had to see his sorrowful eyes and broken expression.

"Okay, Quinn," was all he said. She couldn't help but be disappointed that he wasn't going to fight for her. "But I'm always going to want more. I think someday you'll see that the universe just thinks that we're supposed to be together." He shrugged his shoulders before pressing a light kiss to her cheek and then turning to leave.

It must have meant something that even with all of the hurt from her past, nothing compared to watching Sam Evans walk away.

**OOOO**

Six months had passed without any word from Sam. He had quit his job with Rachel even though she heard he had been offered a promotion. She often wondered if she was the reason behind that but then again she tried to tell herself she didn't care.

Six months had been enough time to properly grieve the loss of her potential soul-mate. It was known that she still thought about him often but not to the point that she had been turned into a recluse. At first she had hard times trying to live her life but within no time she had been able to get back into the swing of things, excluding dating.

She looked herself in the mirror and smiled, approving the girl looking back at her before making her way out of the bathroom and to the hotel lobby. It wasn't often she went to New York. She had been twice before, both in high school.

What should have been a fifteen minute drive ended up being thirty thanks to the lively traffic. She pulled her phone out and glanced at the time, thankful that she had chosen to leave as early as she had.

She paid the driver her fees before easing out of the cab and making her way towards the ticketing booth. Her ticket was eventually handed over to her by the older man after checking to see that her name had been placed on a certain list.

She waltzed inside the building into the lobby and picked up a Playbill before entering the theatre. "Miss, may I escort you to your seat?" Quinn looked at her ticket before handing it over to the elderly woman. "These are very nice. Must have cost a fortune."

"Free actually," Quinn replied with a small smile. "I know girl playing the lead," she added. The elderly woman nodded before escorting her to the proper place.

As Quinn looked around the rapidly filling theater she realized that yes, she did have great seats. She smiled to herself before looking at the stage curtain before her. She pulled her cell phone out of her clutch and sent a quick text to an old boss wishing her luck. Almost instantly she received a response.

_You too. :) –R_

Her brows furrowed in confusion at whatever the brunette was implying. She decided not to dwell on it as the houselights dimmed. As the opening chords bounce freely off the theatre walls, a commotion at the end of the blonde's aisle snaps her attention away from the stage. A voice, somewhat familiar, is apologizing and trying to explain the reason behind his tardiness. She scoffs at the unprofessionalism behind the man's action and instead turns to face the stage again.

A body is suddenly seated beside her and immediately Quinn's senses go into overload. She knew the smell of the aftershave the man was wearing. Even without looking at the man she knew that he was someone she had known simply based on the way his presence made her feel. She cocked her head to the side in hopes of seeing who the man was. A small gasp escaped her throat causing the man to turn and look at her.

It was the first time in six months that hazel eyes had met that particular shade of green. His hair had grown out a lot, but underneath the mane was definitely Sam Evans. "Quinn?" He whispered, voice hoarse. "Quinn Fabray?"

"What are you doing here?" She snapped, all while hoping the rest of the audience was ignorant to their talks. "Did you know I was going to be here?"

"No," he replied before looking away from her to look at the small girl on stage. Instantly the pieces all fell into place. That damn midget of an ex-boss was the cause of her meeting with Sam again. "I guess you didn't know I was gonna be here either, huh?"

"No, now shut up, Sam," she whispered with a small smile. He turned in his seat and watched the rest of the first act without opening his mouth. She wasn't sure when his hand had found hers but instantly everything in her life clicked into place.

The lights flickered their way back on as intermission began. Without the darkness she was able to see his face clearly. He was still as handsome as ever. If anything he looked even better than before. The youthfulness that he had seemed to lack while they were together had returned. Time away from her had done him well, and that thought made her frown.

"Rachel didn't tell me you were going to be here. We could have flown out together-or at the very least shared a cab on the way here. I had this foreign guy. I couldn't understand a word that he was saying, but I just kind of prayed that when I agreed to everything he said I wasn't offering to be a sacrifice to whatever god he believed in." Quinn giggled and watched as a blush covered his cheeks. "You look nice, Quinn. I've thought about you a lot."

"Well," she attempted to respond but was interrupted by Sam's jabbering.

"I guess I shouldn't have said that. You might be engaged or something now and take complete offense to me telling you that you look nice, but you do." She slapped his shoulder lightly.

"Weren't you the one who believed that the universe wanted us together?" Sam's eyes lit up while his grin threatened to split his face. "I don't think I would be engaged if that were the case."

"So people that are fated to be together-they get to kiss right?" He questioned, hopeful for a positive answer. She rolled her eyes. If she allowed him to kiss her then it was going to be the beginning of what would be another relationship with the crazy boy beside her, a relationship she hoped didn't have an expiration date.

"They do," she replied with a small smile and watched as his lips descended on hers in slow-motion. She eagerly responded to the kiss with fervor. Sam Evans tasted just as remarkable as she had remembered.

Sam Evans tasted like home.


End file.
